'^.^ 


* 


I  ALUMNI  LIBRARY,  f 

t    THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,    | 

#  PRINCETON,  N.  J.(  $ 


«^  s<^^>9  ©<^^9  e<^^a 


?es'^^?^e-^«*^>3 


Case,  .:^9M^io^^..C<Srr:..-||.. 

I     Shelf,  Si^tion./;^.S;X.l|^ 


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Ib^^^ 


APPEAL* 


TO  THE 

'^MMKJST'STREET  PRESBFTEHMJV*  CHURCH 
AJ^D  COjyGREGATIOJy:"' 

IN  A  SERIES  OF 

SEVEM  SEKMONS, 

PREDICATED    ON    SKETCHES    OF   THE    DISPENSA- 
TIONS   OF    GOD    TOWARD    HIS    PEOPLE. 

TO    WHICH    ARE    ADDED 

f'ln  an  Appendix  to  Sermon  V.J , 
STRICTURES 

ON 

<(TnE  FIEJ^B  OF  THE  REFORJ^MTIOA^ 
DETECTED:''— By  James  Gray,  D.  D, 


BY  JAMES  M'CHORD,  A.  M, 
LEXINGTON,  KY. 

PRINTED    AND  PUBLISHED  BY  T,  T,  SKILLMAJT. 

1818* 


CliuTcli  and  CongYegation 
T\ie  lolloping  ^ages 
Ai-e  affectionately  in3CTil3ed^ 

and  Teiry  xes^ectf-ully  tend^Teft, 


aa 


CONTENTS. 


SERMON  L  Page 

JTie  General  Judgment^  -  -  9 


SERMOIS  II. 

Heiif         -         -         -         -  ay 

SERMON  III. 

Heaven  f  -  -  -  -         6y 


SERMON  IV. 

Eternity f         -  -  .  ^  gi 


SERi\iON  V. 

Messiah^s  Message,  -  -         -         i^£ 

SERMON  VI. 

The  JSTecessity  of  a  Christian  Profession,      i57 


SERMON  VTL 

The  Blessedness  of  a  Christian  Profession,  185 


Vlll 


li                             Contents  s 

APPENDtS: 

SECTION    I. 

State  of  the  Question, 

^S6 

SECTION   II. 

The  Covenant  of  Works, 

-     2BS 

SECTION  in. 

The  Covenant  of  Grace, 

-      24^ 

SECTION   IV. 

Gray^s  Theory, 

^59 

SECTION   V* 

TheContrastf        *        -        i       • 

,       ^    ^7^ 

\. 

i 

\ 

%theoloqioal/ 
the  general  judgment. 


4 


^^JTe  hath  ajpj^ointed  a  day  in  the  which  he  will 
judge  the  world  in  righteousuegs  hy  that  man 
whom  he  hath  ordained;  whereof  he  hath  given  as- 
surance unto  all  men,  in  that  he  hath  raised  him 
from  the  deadJ^     Acts.  xvii.  31. 

It  can  rarely  have  escaped  the  notice  of  the  intel- 
ligent and  attentive,  that  the  noblest  spirits  are  gen- 
erally the  most  condescending,  gentle  and  affection- 
ate. Never,  under  heaven,  were  sympathies  so 
tender,  never  were  there  demonstrations  of  kind- 
ness so  simple-hearted,  as  those  which  were  exhi- 
bited in  ten  thousand  forms  by  God's  own  Messiah; 
when  he  dwelt  among  us,  animated  by  the  feelings 
and  sustaining  the  pressures  common  to  our  kind. 
Of  all  beings  merely  human,  the  Apostle  Paul  will 
probably  always  rank  highest  in  the  estimation  of 
those  who  can  best  appreciate  his  character.  And 
no  where  do  we  find  such  strokes  of  powerful  na- 
ture, no  where  do  we  note  such  instances  of  meek 
compliance,  as  his  letters  and  the  record  of  his  trav- 
els furuish.  Ardent  as  a  seraph,  bold  in  his  con^ 
ceptions,  daring  in  his  plans,  unswayed,  unintimi- 
dated  by  the  array  of  pov»  er;  we  find  this  maQ«-^ 


iO  The  General  Judgment. 

wlio  at  CsBsav's  judgment-seat  stood  firm  and 
dauntless  as  if  himself  had  been  a  Csesar,  this  man 
who  hurled  reproaches  merciless  and  boundless  on 
liypocrital  Jews  and  Judaising  Gentiles^^we  find 
this  man  stooping  to  the  ignorant  with  such  gentleness 
and  patience  as  though  they  had  been  his  children, 
weeping  with  the  sorrowful  as  though  himself  were 
stricken,  and  caressing  and  regarding  with  all  the 
fervor  of  simple-hearted  infancy  whatever  had  a 
claim  on  the  Ireart  of  purity. 

You  may  have  remarked  hoAv  fearlessly  he  often 
.stood  on  his  arraignment,  when  one  word  from  an 
unprincipled  and  arbitrary  judge  was  sufficient  to 
have  sealed  his  destiny.  You  have  seen  how  his 
fervid  and  angry  spirit  flashed,  when  Jewish  priests 
and  rulers,  with  deep  hypocrisy  and  still  deeper 
hatred,  opposed  the  promulgation  of  the  Saviour's 
message,  and  plead,  good  souls!  their  consciences^ 
to  screen  their  selfishness  and  malice. 

Mark  how  differently  he  carries  himself  in  a  city 
of  pagans,  where  every  object  that  presented  itself 
served  only  to  excite  commiseration  or  disgust. 
Athens,  the  tamous  seat  of  science,  stood  a  mon- 
ument of  the  vanity  of  all  humai)  science  where  the 
word  of  God  comes  not  to  marshal  and  direct  the 
energies  of  its  votaries:  Atliens  was  sunk  in  pitia 
Lie  ignorance  of  all  the  more  interesting  and  impoi'- 
^Vant  troths  which  man  should  v/ish  to  know:  Athens 
was  more  degraded  with  multiplied  idolatries  than 
almost  any  other  city:  and  after  wearying  and  impov- 
eiishiniq  herself  bv    the  erection  of  altars   to   n- 


The  General  Judgment,  11 

tliousaiid  Gods,  she  summed  up  her  folly— (shall  I 
call  it?  or  devotion?)  in  erecting  one  more  altar  ^'to 
THE  GOD  UNKNOWN.'' — Witliout  sliockiug  tlicir  feel- 
ings by  a  direct  attack  on  their  debased  and  degra- 
ding superstitions,  the  Apostle,  with  the  utmost  gen- 
tleness, attempts  to  undermine  them.  He  takes  that 
altar  for  his  text,  and  begins  with  complimenting 
them  on  the  spirit  which  had  erected  it;  not  by  ab- 
surdly telling  them,  as  our  version  has  it,  that  they 
were  too  superstitious.  From  that  text  he  unfolds  to 
them  the  God  whom  they  did  not  know;  he  unfolds 
the  doctrines  of  the  resurrection  and  of  the  eternal 
judgment:  he  does  it  fully,  and  he  does  it  fearless- 

To-day,  my  hretiu^en,  we  would  imitate  his  ex- 
ample.  We  have  come  down,  like  our  Apostle, 
not  to  shock  your  feelings,  but  to  do  you  service. 
Like  him  we  would  do  it  with  every  regard  to  what 
we  owe  you;  but,  at  the  same  time,  with  equal  re- 
gard to  all  that  is  due  to  truth.  The  Apostle's 
theme  is  ours:  ^^God  has  appointed  a  day  in  the 
which  he  will  judge  the  world  in  righteousness  by 
that  man  whom  he  hath  ordained.''  In  attending  to 
it  we  will  shew, 

I.  Tiiat  there  siiall  be  such  a  judgment. 

II.  The  time  about  which  it  will  probably  take 
place. 

III.  The  circumstances  attending  it. 

I.  It  is  a  fact  that  God  has  appointed  a  day  in  which 
ke  will  ju(l.s;e  the  world  by  that  mail  whom  he  has  or 


IS  2%e  Generai  Judgme%t 

ftrdained^  eveti  by  him  wko  died  to  save  the  wovld. 
Kew  as  was  this  idea  to  the  good  people  of  Athens, 
there  has  never  appeared  any  tiling  new  about  it 
to  the  apprehension  of  the  people  of  God.  Job, 
who  lived  about  the  times  of  the  patriarch  tsaac> 
mentions  it  familiarly,  and  mentions  it  as  a  ground 
Oi'consolation  in  his  troubles.  In  the  fiftieth  psalm, 
^aid  to  have  been  penned  by  David,  and  of  course 
nearly  one  thousand  years  before  the  advent  of 
Messiah,  we  find  a  long,  and,  if  it  were  not  so 
terrific,  we  would  add  magnijicent,  description  of 
the  solemnities  of  that  day.  On  these  references 
it  is  needless  to  detain  you.  But  as  we  mean  to 
anake  some  little  use  of  the  description  furnislied 
by  the  prophet  Daniel,  we  will  take  the  liberty  of 
reading  it.  It  occurs  in  that  famous  prophecy  which 
embraces  the  destinies  of  the  world  and  of  the  Church 
from  the  sera  of  the  vision  down  to  the  great  and 
dreadful  day  of  judgment.  After  describing  the  four 
great  empires  that  controled  in  succession  the  ener- 
gies of  the  East,  and  after  tracing  the  last,  or  Roman 
government,  thro'  all  the  horrors  of  the  great  aposta- 
ey,  he  goes  on  to  say:  «1  beheld  till  the  thrones  were 
cast  down,  and  the  ancient  of  days  did  sit,  whose 
garment  was  white  as  snow,  and  the  hair  of  his 
head  like  the  pure  wool:  his  throne  was  like  the 
fiei'y  flame,  and  his  w  heels  as  burning  fire.  A  fiery 
stream  issued  and  came  forth  from  before  him:  thou- 
sand thousands  ministered  unto  him,  and  ten  thou-, 
sand    times    tea  tliousaud   stood  before  him^:  the 


The  General  JiidgmenL  iS 

judgment  was  set,  and  the  books  were  opened.*'^ 
— —  In  fact,  so  common  were  tke  doctrines  of  a 
itisurrection  and  general  judgment,  that  they  laid 
the  chief  foundation  of  the  wide  distinctions  between 
the  two  great  rival  sects  of  Judea,  the  Pharisees 
and  Sadducees.  The  latter  denied  the  doctrines  of 
a  resurrection  and  of  a  separate  state  of  spirits;  and 
on  that  account  rejected  the  whole  of  the  old-testa- 
ment scriptures,  excepting  the  five  books  of  Moses, 
supposing  no  such  doctrine  to  be  contained  in  them. 
And  thence  it  was  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
when  he  silenced  the  Sadducees  on  the  question  of 
the  resurrection,  drew  his  argument  from  the  book 
of  Exodus,t  a  portion  of  scripture  which  they  ad- 
mitted to  be  inspired. 

AVe  need  not  say  to  you  that  the  New  Testament 
scriptures  are  particularly  full  and  clear  upon  this 
point.  So  full  and  so  clear,  that  no  one  needs  quo^ 
tations  to  assure  him  of  its  being  the  doctrine  of  tlie 
apostolic  churches.  We  will  just  attend  one  mo- 
Bient  to  the  proof  of  the  doctrine  adduced  by  the 
Apostle.  Of  the  fact,  that  there  shall  be  a  general 
resurrection,  he  declares,  God  has  given  assurance 
to  all  men,  in  that  he  raised  Messiah  from  the  deado 
This,  to  a  people  like  the  Athenians,  was  an  im 
portant  and  perhaps  indispensable  illustration  of 
the  question.  The  deities  whom  they  worshipped, 
were  shadowed  forth  as  in  all  things  resembling 

^nan,  vii,  9.  10.  A-MarJc  xii.  iS-^-^T' 


ih  Th^  General  Judgment, 

tliemsetves.  Beings  but  of  yesterday;  limited  iii 
tlieir  knowledge,  in  tlieir  powers^  in  their  aims;  a- 
gitated  by  the  passions,  and  degraded  with  the  vi- 
ces that  embitter  human  life.  The  contemplation, 
and  especially  the  adoration  of  such  imaginary  de- 
ities^ had  a  direct  and  necessary  tendency  to  debase 
the  conceptions  and  enfeeble  the  moral  feeling  of  the 
pagan  world.  The  ideas  of  a  self-existent,  eter- 
nal, omnipresent,  omnipotent  Being,  were  quite  new 
to  them.  For  the  sublime  delineations,  as  they  are 
often  called,  which  we  meet  with  in  the  writings  of 
some  few  philosophers,  delineations  that  betray  the 
faint  and  reflected  glimmerings  of  revelation,  were 
known  only  to  Uie  few  wlio  frequented  the  aca* 
demic  shade.  The  great  mass  of  the  Athenians  were 
tmacqnainted  with  these  speculations;  nor  did  they 
impart  one  single  feature  of  intelligence  to  the  devo-» 
tions  even  of  the  philosophic  world:  its  devotion 
was  still  paid  at  the  shrines  of  popular  idols,  a ^zd^i;^ 
"-ti-as  paid  no  where  else.  The  fact  is,  that  though 
they  had  sometimes  takeri  views  approaching  to  cor-' 
rectness,  of  the  character  and  attributes  of  ^^the  on- 
ly true  God,''  yet  habit  would  insensibly  lead  them 
to  dilute  and  debase  doctrines  of  such  unusual  sub- 
limity, every  time  they  attemptetl  to  employ  them 
for  any  practical  purpose.  Labouring  under  such 
partial  apprehensions  of  the  truth,  it  wa§  quite  natu- 
ral to  inquire:  'how  c^m  God  raise  the  dead?'  ^how 
should  he  discriminate  between  the  mingled  dust  of 
liiaiiy    generations?'      We,  who  are  familiarized 


The  General  Juds^ment,  15 


"^y 


with  the  idea  of  all-sui!iciency,  never  think  of  start-, 
iui^  such  objections.  But  to  minds  only  conversant 
with  mythological  attributes^  they  were  of  serious 
weight.  A  fact  then,  which  would  preclude  the 
possibility  of  doubt,  was  a  matter  of  great  import- 
ance. Let  that  fact  be  well  attested:  let  the  mis- 
sionary of  the  cross  be  able  to  say,  ^see^  God  has 
already  raised  the  dead!'  ^see,  Messiah  has  burst 
the  cerements  of  the  tomb!'  and  the  question  of  pos» 
sibility  is  at  once  and  forever  settled.  He  w  ho  has 
done  it  once,  may  do  the  thing  again.  He  who  hag 
spoken  of  a  general  resurrection,  gives  assp-ance  of 
his  all -sufficiency  in  raising  up  his  Son. 

But  again.  While  the  fact  of  the  resurrection  ati- 
tests  the  all-sufficiency  of  Grod,  it  bears  witness  to 
the  propriety^  and  indeed  to  the  necessity  of  a  gen= 
eral  resurrection,  on  the  score  of  righteousness.  It 
is  the  glory  of  the  Divinity  that  all  his  w  ays  are 
perfect,  are  exact.  Now  in  order  to  the  perfect 
distribution  of  the  recompense,  it  is  manifestly  ne- 
cessary that  rewards  and  punishments  should  be 
meted  out,  as  nearly  as  possible,  in  the  very  form^ 
and  thro'  the  very  channels  in  which  they  may  have 
been  earned.  We  account  that  a  just  and  beautiful 
arrangement,  in  pursuance  of  which  the  reward  o'c 
punishment  is  made  to  grow  directly  out  of  the  deed 
itself.  We  admire  and  applaud  that  dispensation 
of  the  Almighty,  which  takes  the  crafty  in  their  owu 
devices,  and  enthrals  the  feet  of  sinners  in  the 
snares  that  they  had  spread.     Carry  out  thU  lim^ 


16  The  General  Judgment. 

and  yon  will  perceive  something  more  tlmn  a  fitness 
in  the  general  resurrection;  you  will  perceive  a  ne- 
cessity for  the  resurrection  of  the  body:  that  the  ve- 
ry members  which  have  toiled  in  the  service  of  their 
Maker,  may  reap  the  fruits  of  his  munificence;  and 
that  the  very  senses  which  have  been  perverted  and 
debased  by  iniquity,  may  become  the  avenues  of  ap- 
propriate sorrow. 

The  resurrection  of  the  Saviour  gives  to  the  world 
assurance  of  this  righteous  distribution.  It  was  not 
merely  his  spirit  that  had  toiled  in  the  service  of  his 
Father;  in  body  as  well  as  spirit  he  had  been  devo- 
ted to  that  service:  and  it  afforded  fit  demonstra- 
tion of  the  righteousness  of  God,  that  the  head 
which  had  once  been  crowned  with  thorns,  should 
be  crowned  in  heaven  with  immortal  amaranth;  that 
the  eyes  often  moistened  and  almost  blinded  with 
his  tears,  should  sparkle  in  all  the  brilliancy  of  joy| 
that  the  heart  which  had  often  well-nigh  burst  with 
agony,  shcmld  dilate  with  emotions  of  delight  and 
love. — Now,  that  which  is  true  of  Jesus  Christ,  is 
true  of  every  human  being.  That  which  has  o^end- 
ed,  that  Avhich  has  obeyed,  should  be  punished  or 
rewarded;  and  the  risen  Saviour  is  an  example  of 
such  justice.  But  should  you  deny  the  probability 
of  the  resurrection  of  the  body,  you  at  once  do  away 
the  possibility  of  such  recompense  as  sliall  meet  ex- 
actly the  demands  of  righteousness.  The  being  who 
consists  of  soul  and  body  has  n:)t  only  many  m  ?J.ss 
of  obeying  and  offending,  but  many  v/ays  of  mE^x- 


The  General  Judgment,  iy 

jtig  and  enjoying,  pecnliar  to  itself.  And  if  death 
be  indeed  an  everlasting  sleep,  then  rigorous  jus- 
tice is  defeated  of  its  ends. 

Finally.  The  resurrection  of  the  Saviour  gives 
assurance  to  the  world  of  a  general  resurrection  and 
of  the  eternal  judgment,  because  he  obeyed,  suifer- 
ed,  and  triumphed  as  a  federative  head.  That 
which  is  his  standing,  must  therefore  be  the  stand- 
ing of  liis  people;  and  whatever  be  the  destiny 
righteousness  allots  to  him,  that  very  same  destiny 
it  allots  to  all  who  are  represented  by  him.  If  he 
be  accounted  righteous,  then  so  are  they:  if  the  re- 
surrection be  in  part  the  recompense  of  righteous- 
ness to  him,  then  to  all  who  are  his  the  same  re^ 
compense  belongs. 

We  have  not  time  to  dilate  on  any  of  these  i- 
deas.  Any  one  of  them  would  require  our  hour 
to  do  it  justice.  You  will  permit  me  to  dismiss  this 
part  of  m^  subject  with  one  general  observation.  It 
is  the  doctrine  of  the  scriptures,  and  the  dictate  of 
sound  sense,  that  God,  and  God  alone,  is  the  con- 
servator of  exact  and  absolute  righteousness.  TliQ 
governments  of  men  have  nothing  to  do  with  the 
merit  or  demerit  of  any  one's  conduct,  except  as  it 
interferes  with  the  interests  of  society.  Their  re- 
wards are  measured  out,  not  that  righteousness  may 
be  fulfilled,  but  that  society  may  be  benefited:  an^ 
their  punishments  are  iniiicted,  not  that  justice  may 
be  satisfied,  but  that  society  may  be  protected.  The 
penalty  may  be  remitted,  and  often  is  remitted^  with^ 

C 


iS  The  General  Judsiment 


d' 


out  the  imputation  of  unrighteousness^  where  it  can 
be  done  without  hazard  of  the  puhlic  safety;  because 
safety,  not  righteousness,  is  the  object  of  the  penal- 
ty. And  oftences  may  be  committed  without  any 
risk  of  penalty,  when  they  do  not  militate  against 
the  welfare  of  society.  These  remarks  hold  good 
even  in  relation  to  all  tliose  institutions  which  have 
the  cultivation  of  the  fear  of  almigiity  God  for  their  im- 
mediate object.  For  our  I'elations  to  the  Deity  are  as 
essential  and  immutable  as  our  relations  to  one  ano- 
ther, and  they  are  vastly  more  important.  Society  is 
therefore  interested  to  a  considerable  e?;tent  in  the 
manner  in  which  we  observe  them;  society  is  con- 
cerned that  every  man's  conscience  should  be  chain- 
ed to  the  throne  of  God;  it  therefore  becomes,  to  a 
certain  extent,  the  right  of  society  to  prevent,  for 
its  own  protection,  whatever  strongly  militates  a-- 
gainst  the  healthy  condition  of  the  public  conscience. 
It  is  in  this  light,  and  not  because  they  are  author- 
ized to  assume  the  prerogative  of  eternal  righteous- 
ness in  meteing  out  due  punishment  to  man's  oifen- 
ces,  that  all  wise  legislators  provide  against  infrac- 
tions of  the  moral  law. 

Such,  in  general,  are  the  objects  aimed  at,  and 
such  is  the  law  that  regulates  the  procedure  in  all 
human  governments.  But  in  a  government  literal- 
ly and  rigorously  moral,  the  case  is  very  different. 
There  the  object  is  the  preservation  of  righteousr 
ness:  the  rule  must  be  exact,  universal  and  immu- 
table:  and  that' rule  must  regard  tjie  merit  or  de- 


^e  General  Jud^inent  19 

iii'erit  of  the  deed  itself,  considered  in  relation  to  the 
feelings  and  circumstances  of  the  agent;  and  must, 
award  to  it  precisely  the  thingthat  justice  dictates. 
Need  we  tell  you  that  unless  God  judge  and  a- 
ward  according  to  this  rule^  there  neither  is  nor  can 
be  any  thing  that  deserves  the  name  of  a  perfect  ad- 
ministration in  all  the  universe?  Need  we  say  to 
you  that  he  does  appropriate  to  himself  the  glory  of 
this  pure  and  perfect  administration?  that  heassert;^ 
as  his  peculiar  prerogative  this  measurement  of  re- 
compense according  to  the  deed?  that  he  has  written  it 
in  his  book,  ^^^engeance  is  mine;  I  will  repay  saitli 
the  Lord?''  ^*  Must  we  prove  to  you  that  the  dictates  of 
such  a  righteousness  enforce,  eternally,  immutably, 
the  strictest  adheience  to  law?  Or  need  we  infer  for 
you  that^  on  these  grounds,  the  events  of  the  resur- 
rection and  of  the  general  judgment  are  not  only 
possible  and  probable,  but  absolutely  necessary  io> 
the  execution  of  strict  and  perfect  justice? 

There  shall,  then,  be  a  judgment,  pure  and  per- 
fect as  the  omniscient  God  is  perfect.  A  judg- 
ment that  shall  extend  to  every  word  and  deed,  to 
every  thought  and  motive,  to  every  public  and  to 
every  secret  thing,  whether  it  be  bad,  or  whether 
it  be  good.  Rigliteousness  demands  it.  The  Grod 
of  truth  has  said  it.  And  though  the  end  mi9;h^ 
doubtless  be  answered  without  this  awful  and  uni- 
Tersal  arraignment  on  one  great  and  general  day^, 

^Rom.  xii.  19. 


^0  ^£he  General  Judgment, 

yet  wlio  does  not  see  that  the  solemnities  of  such  a 
day  may  serve  many  important  purposes  in  relation 
to  the  feelings  of  the  intelligent  creation! 

II.  It  would  be  folly  in  us  to  aim  at  a  discovery 
of  the  precise  time  at  which  this  event  shall  take 
place.  The  Saviour  himself  has  testified  tliat  nei- 
ther man  nor  angel  knows  any  thing  of  the  matter. 
It  is  hidden  in  the  councils  of  the  Eternal  mind;  and 
it  were  presumption  as  well  as  folly,  to  attempt  a 
discovery,  after  Grod  has  announced  that  conceal- 
ment is  his  purpose.  But  that  same  great  teacher 
has  seen  proper  to  afford  the  means  of  a  very  sat- 
isfactory approximation  toward  the  truth  on  this 
interesting  point.  He  has  marked  the  period  with- 
in which  we  may  gather  with  certainty  that  the  mil- 
lennium shall  take  place:  he  has  said  that  this  peri- 
Oi  J  of  universal  blessing  shall  continue  for  one  thou^ 
sand  years;  during  which,  we  are  told,  satan  shall 
be  bound  **that  he  may  deceive  the  nations  no  more, 
till  the  thousand  years  shall  be  fulfilled.'**  ^^^Af- 
ter  that,''  it  is  said,  '*he  must  be  loosed  a  little  sea- 
son."! This  ^*little  season"  is  obviously  contrast- 
ed with  the  preceding  thousand  years,  and  there- 
fore cannot,  at  most,  extend  to  more  than  three  or 
four  centuries. 

NoWj  though  it  is  iioteasy  to  determine  the  pre^ 
'  cise  point  of  time   at  which  the  commencement  of 


The  General  Judgment,  Si 

liie  milleiiiuum  should  be  fixed,  yet  we  v^*y  well 
know  that  tlie  range  within  which  all  calculations  on 
this  subject  must  be  confined  is  quite  inconsidera- 
ble. Twenty-three  hundred  years  are  alloted  in 
the  book  of  Daniel  ^'•to  give  both  the  sanctuary  and 
the  host  to  be  trodden  under  foot.''*  This  period 
embraces  the  destinies  of  at  least  the  lasttliree  of  the 
four  great  empires  known  in  scriptural  prophecy; 
and  the  latter  part  of  it  synchronizes  \tith  the  twelve 
hundred  and  sixty  years  so  familiar  to  the  readers^ 
of  the  book  of  revelations.  It  is  a  matter  of  no  im- 
portance^ in  our  present  inquiry,  whether  the  grand 
prophetic  period  be  dated  from  tiie  sera  of  the  vis- 
sion,  in  the  last  year  of  the  xissyrian  monarchy;  or 
from  that  period  in  the  history  of  the  Persian  em- 
pire in  which  t!ie  prophecy  began  to  be  accomplish- 
ed. For  though  we  should  fix  the  commencement 
of  the  period  in  question  at  tlie  latest  possible  date, 
yet  still  we  are  to  look  for  the  speedy  commence- 
ment of  those  thousand  years  of  blessing,  after  the 
conclusion  of  which  ^^a  little  season'^  shall  termi* 
nate  the  history  of  our  woe- worn  world.  We  have 
seen  the  Persian,  the  Grecian,  the  Roman  domina* 
tion,  all  of  them  included  in  the  period  in  question, 
successively  give  way:  we  have  seen  the  anti-chris* 
tian  tyranny  of  Rome,  to  which  prophecy  allots 
twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years,  prevailing  through 
many  centuries.     We  may  therefore  know  that  the 

^•Van.  viii.  13^  14. 


p^  tTie  General  Judgment, 

plans  of  heaven  are  hoW  near  their  consumiiiatioiL 
And  that  which  we  are  taught  by  the  prophetic 
scriptures  to  expect^,  tiie  signs  of  the  times  as  plains 
Ij  indicate  to  be  very  near  at  hand.  Over  all  the 
the  earth  we  mark  a  general  movement:  we  sfee  th6 
standard  of  the  cross  planted  and  protected  aihong 
the  remotest  nations:  we  see  the  scriptures  render^ 
cd  into  many  tongues:  we  see  the  hope  of  life  eter- 
nal gilding  the  last  hours  of  maliy  southern  island- 
ers: we  see  the  fanes  of  idolatry  deserted  and  des- 
pised: we  see  the  empire  of  Mohammed  nodding  to 
its  fall:  we  see  every  thing  beginning  to  bend  be* 
fore  the  sceptre  of  that  Saviour,  who  is  to  subdue 
all  people  ^^to  the  obedience  of  the  faith.''  We 
know  thcrefote,  that  the  time  is  now  very  near  at 
hand  when  that  Universal  and  heart-felt  acclama- 
tion, "salvation,  and  glory,  and  honour^  and  pow- 
er,'' shall  ascend  in  all  quartets  from  men  of  eveiy 
name.  Yet  a  little  while  then,  and  these  thousand 
years  begin.  Let  them  roll  round — and  then — no 
man,  no  angel,  can  tell  the  eventful  day— but  then, 
in  the  glory  of  his  Father,  and  with  all  his  holy 
angels,  Messiah  shall  appear. 

It  is  not,  perhaps,  unimportant  to  remark,  that 
there  is  one  mode  of  construing  the  prophecies  that 
define  the  duration  of  the  millennium,  w  hich  would 
place  the  coming  of  that  great  and  dreadful  day  at 
a  distance  most  discouragingly  remote.  Some  in* 
terpreters  have  been  so  unreasonable  as  to  suppose, 
that  the  thousand  millennian  years  are  to  be  wha(^^ 


T^e  General  Judgment.  '^^ 

"tJicy  are  pleased  to  call  prophetic  years;  so  that  ey* 
cry  year  should  be  construed  to  embrace  three  hun* 
dred  and  sixty  ordinary  yeais,  ai^d  the  millennium 
itself  be  of  course  extended  through  the  incompre- 
hensible period  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  thousand 
years.  But  such  a  construction  violates  all  the  es- 
tablished  rules  of  prophetic  language.  The  book 
of  revelation  (and  the  same  remark  may  be  extend. 
Bd  to  all  similar  compositions)  is  a  system  of  sym^ 
bols^  in  which  one  thing  is  placed  as  the  represent- 
ative of  another  somewhat  analagous  to  it.  It  de- 
serves also  to  be  remembered  that  these  symbols 
are  arranged  on  the  principle  of  paintings  or  draw- 
ings, in  which  a  very  small  object  is  the  represent- 
ative of  a  large  one.  Alimost  the  whole  book  of  rev- 
elations is  a  description  of  the  things  seen  bjr  the 
prophet  in  the  unrolling  of  the  small  book  which 
tad  been  sealed  with  seven  seab.  Now  it  is  an 
easy  matter  to  discover  wherefore  a  day  should  be 
in  prophetic  language  the  symbol  of  a  year— the  les- 
ser revolution  the  symbol  of  the  larger;  but  to  make 
a  year  the  symbol  of  other  years,  would  be  to  vio- 
late  all  propriety  aud  fitness.  It  is  true  that  in  on^ 
instance  we  find  a  departure  froiri  this  established 
form;  the  lesser  prophetic  period  of  twelve  hundred 
and  sixty  years  is  once  indicated  in  Daniel  by  ^^a 
time,  times,  and  the  dividing  of  time;'^  that  is^  by 
three  and  an  half  years.  But  even  in  this  case,  we 
find  tliat  the  language  is  still  symbolical,  and  of 
course  are  constrained  to  interpret  it  symbolicallj. 


'Sl^  Tlie  General  Judgment, 

Very  different  is  tlie  fact  in  this  xx.  of  Revelation, 
The  language  is  plain,  the  whole  context  is  plain, 
every  thing  else  appears  intended  for  literal  inter- 
pretation; and  to  make  that  a  symbol  which  is  no 
where  else  so  used,  and  in  a  passage  too  where  no- 
thing else  is  supposed  to  be  symbolical,  is  indeed  to 
proceed  most  strangely  in  construing  the  word  of 
God. 

Add  to  this  that  the  whole  current  of  scriptural 
phraseology  contradicts  the  idea  of  so  long  a  mil- 
lennium. Why  those  appeals  to  the  Gentile  chureh- 
es,  so  often  predicated  on  the  shortness  of  the  peri- 
od that  must  intervene  before  the  Judgment? 
Why  are  the  times  in  which  the  Apostles  lived  so 
familiarly  denominated  '^the  last  times/'  ^Hhe  ends 
of  the  worW?  Every  thing — every  thing  compels 
us  to  adopt  the  cheering,  the  welcome,  the  most  con- 
solatory conclusion  that  the  millennium  shall  endure 
but  for  that  thousand  years;  that  the  resurrection  is  at 
hand;  that  the  books  shall  soon  be  opened;  that 
within  a  veryfew  centuries  from  the  termination  of  that 
millennium  to  which  we  can  now  look  with  eager- 
ness as  being  ^^even  at  the  door,-'  we  shall  all  be  e^ 
iectritied  with  that  welcome  invitation,  ^^come,  ye 
blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepa- 
red for  you  fi^om  the  foundation  of  the  world.'' 

HI.  Attend  now  to  the  circumstances  connected 
with  his  appearing.  Did  we  need  further  confirm- 
ation of  the  hope  just  r,ow  established,  we  might 


Hie  General  Judgment.  SS 


'<3 


find  it  in  the  assurance  so  often  given  that  the  th-one 
©f  the  last  judgment  will  be  established  unexpect- 
edly; sooner — much  sooner,  than  the  \Vorld  will  be 
aware.  The  Saviour  has  said  that  all  things  will 
be  moving  on  regularly  and  securely,  as  on  the  day 
when  Noah  entered  into  the  ark.  There  will  be 
buying  and  selling,  planting  and  building,  feasting 
and  mourning,  man-iages  and  burials — all  things 
will  be  going  on  in  that  populous  age  just  as  they 
are  at  present. — Lo!  darkness  covers  one  half  of 
the  globe,  and  its  inhabitants  ai^e  engaged  in  was- 
sail mirth,  or  locked  in  the  arms  of  slumber.  Here 
and  there  you  note  an  individual  far  otherwise  em- 
ployed. In  one  spot  sits  a  mourner  weeping  the 
sad  providence  that  had  quenched  the  light  of  her 
joy,  alight  far  dearer  to  her  than  the  departed  lamp 
of  day.  In  another  kneels  a  suppliant,  seeking  liis 
portion  in  a  better  world,  feelingly  confessing  the 
offences  of  the  day,  and  summing  up  his  wishes  in 
that  ^^blessed  hope  and  glorious  appearing  of  the 
great  God  our  Saviour,'^  which  shall  free  him 
from  the  plague  of  an  hard  and  deceitful  heart. 
Far  to  the  East  you  see  the  traveller  just  risen 
with  the  morning  light,  and  setting  forward  briskly 
and  eagerly  for  the  stage  that  is  to  terminate  the 
journeying  of  the  day:— thus  far,  he  says  to  himself, 
shall  I  make  progress  to-day;  yonder  will  I  sleep 
to-night;  he  spurs  his  tired  jade,  he  stretches  for- 
ward toward  his  point;  but  eternity  will  bear  re- 
cord that  he  never  reached  it.     Bevond  him  see 


:S6  The  General  Judgment, 

the  .assassin  stealing  toward  his  home,  his  hands 
polluted  with  the  blood  of  the  unwary,  and  his 
countenance  ever  varying  between  contending  ex- 
pressions of  remorse  and  fear.  Look  now  far  to 
the  west,  where  the  shades  of  night  begin  to  settle 
down.  Mark  the  multitudes  of  some  populous  city, 
how  they  throng  into  the  house  of  God.  It  is  an 
evening  long  consecrated  to  prayer  and  thanksgiv- 
ing, and  now  they  are  meeting  to  unite  once  again 
in  those  exercises  that  have  so  often  stayed  the 
wanderings  of  their  hearts  and  lifted  high  their 
hopes  above  the  vicissitudes  of  the  world.  Theiv 
song  of  praise  is  finished:  they  stand  up  to  bless 
and  to  worship  and  to  supplicate  the  Lord  their 
God:  they  cry  upon  the  Saviour  to  be  present  in 
their  assembly,  according  to  the  promise  which  be 
in  kindness  gave.  But  scarcely  has  the  name  of  the 
Saviour  passed  their  lips,  scarcely  has  that  cry  re- 
verberated from  the  cieling,  •*come,Lord  Jesus,  come 
ijuickly,'^  when  behold!  in  a  sense  which  they  little 
thought,  Messiah  is  at  hand!  Yon  lonely  mourner 
kas  not  yet  dried  her  eyes,  yon  eager  traveller  has 
made  but  little  progress,  yon  ruthless  murderer  has 
not  yet  reached  his  door— not  yet  washed  his  hands, 
when,  behold!  the  clouds  begin  furiously  to  raT?:e! 
then  suddenly  parting,  with  a  noise  surpassing  ten 
thousand  rolling  thunders,  they  heap  on  either  sidel 
The  astonished  world  looks  upward,  and  lo!  that 
great  white  throne  is  already  set  for  judgment;  the 
judge  is  already  seated^  the  books  are  already  o^ 


ne  General  Judgment  S7 

Jiened;  and  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and 
thousands  of  thousands  are  the  angels  that  climb 
and  throng  the  clouds  of  heaven,  to  view  the  sur« 
prizing  scene! 

My  dear  friends,  this  is  no  picture  of  the  fancy* 
The  prophet  Daniel  saw  that  judgment  seat:  he 
saw  those  ministering  spirits,  thousands  upon  thou* 
sands,  myriads  upon  myriads,  thronging  round 
the  throne:  and  both  David  and  Daniel  tell  us  of  a 
flame  that  shot  forth  fierce  and  dreadful  from  be- 
neath the  judgment  seat,  and  sent  its  volumes,  cur- 
ling as  they  darted,  with  brilliant  sparks  and  loud 
and  bickering  sound. 

Yonder  stands  that  throne,  glittering  like  the 
stars,  white  as  the  snow  from  heaven!  Yonder,  be- 
fore it,  plays  devouring  fire!  Yonder,  around  it, 
stand  the  hosts  of  seraphim!  and  all  above  is  mute 
and  dreadful  observation,  while  all  the  world  sends 
forth  one  cry  of  terror! 

But  not  foi*  these— ^not  for  these  alone  who  startle 
With  amazement— is  this  array  provided.  Messiah 
has  come  down  to  execute  his  judgments;  and  the 
slumbering  dust  of  many  generations  must  abide  the 
great  decision.  Hear  one  bliast  of  that  arch-angePg 
trumpet,  louder  and  longer  than  when  he  shook  the 
plain  of  Sinai,  while  thunders  roared  and  lightnings 
glanced  around  the  smouldering  peak!  Hear  but  once 
exerted  that  all-potent  voice  that  pierced  of  old  the 
leaden  ear  of  Lazarus!  ^Arise  ye  dead  and  come  tt^ 
Judgment!'   Earth   and   Ocean  make   one  ssudd^ 


^  jTAe  General  Judgments 

movetnent^  ^nd  lol  their  surface  teems!  myHad^^ 
niyi'iads,  the  dust  of  generations,  again  organ- 
ized and  animated,  looks  up  toward  that  throne! 
The  small  and  the  great  are  there:  the  infant  of  a 
span,  and  the  mail  of  vast  dimensions  were  seeii 
by  the  prophet  arraigned  before  the  judge.* 

Nor  are  these  all  the  dead.  The  Apostle  Paul 
has  told  us  that  ^^the  dead  in  Christ  rise  first:'^f  and 
all  these  ttuiUitudes,  these  innumerable  multitudes, 
lift  up  their  heads  with  joy.  These,  w'e  are  told,  the 
angels  shall  collect,  and,  bearing  them  aloft  above^ 
that  fiery  flame,  set  them  in  order  on  the  right  hand 
of  the  judge.  But  their  judgment  is  not  yet.  That 
judgment  is  <^the  revelation  of  the  righteousness  of 
Godj*'  and  all  the  world  must  witness  it.  Again 
the  great  arch-aiigel  puts  the  trumpet  to  his  lips; 
and  he  blows  it  loud  and  long.  Again  is  heard  the 
mandate  of  the  Almiglity  Judge:  and,  lo!  the  sur-- 
face  of  the  earth  again  in  motion!  the  sea  casts  forth 
another  host  of  bodies!  and  death  and  hell  pour 
forth  their  agonized  multitudes!  Behold,  the  small 
and  the  great  are  also  there:  the  noble  and  the 
mean  throng  and  press  and  tread  on  one  another. 

Friends,  if  you  can  conceive  it,  conceive  it  for 
yourselves!  We  will  not  attempt  to  paint  the  con- 
sternation of  that  hour.  The  scriptures  have  said 
it,  «^all  kindreds  of  the  earth  shall  wail:*'{  the 
scriptures  have  particularized,  among  this  throng 
^f  many  generations,  the  very  men  \Vho  flouted  and 

•*i2ei\  XX.  12.     fi-  Tliess.  iv.  16*     JJSer.  i.  7*. 


^he  General  Judgment,  ^ 

who  pierced  the  Saviour  in  the  day  of  his  greatest 
sorrow:  and  they  have  left  you  to  imagine,  they  have 
not  taught  me  to  depict  the  scene,  when  the  sight  of 
that  Messiah  shall  blast  the  vision  of  his  murder- 
ers. Nor  have  they  any  hope  of  safety.  Conceal- 
ment is  attempted;  but  the  eye  of  the  Judge  is  fixed 
steadily  upon  them:  its  fires  are  like  the  basilisk^s, 
and  it  chains  them  to  the  spot.  Rocks  and  moun- 
tains are  called  upon  to  cover  tliem  from  the  face  of 
him  who  sits  upon  the  throiie.  But  rocks  would 
skip  like  lambs,  and  mountains  like  the  unicorn, 
at  the  bidding  of  that  voice.  Man  alone  proved 
regardless  of  his  maker's  mandate;  and  he  must  a- 
bide  the  consequence. 

See  now  that  throng,  the  tamult  just  subsiding 
after  the  first  surprise.  Mark  the  weeping  and 
wailing,  the  mute  despondence  and  the  maniac 
I'ase.  Eternity  has  commenced,  and  yonder  is 
the  Judge  who  is  to  assign  their  portion  in  it! — Say, 
^hope  of  Israel!'  say,  Lamb  of  God!  shall  th^  ap- 
peal  be  made  to  thee?  Behold  ^'I  called,  and  ye 
refused;  1  stretched  out  my  hand,  and  no  man  re- 
garded. But  ye  set  at  nought  all  my  counsel, 
and  would  none  of  my  reproof.**"  Prepare  ye  for 
the  judgment.  Ye  nations  of  the  saved,  shall  an  ap- 
peal be  loxlged  with  you?  Ah!  many  of  that  crowd, 
flow  frantic  with  despair  or  nerveless  through  dis* 
may,  had  once  fondly  hoped  to  have  risen  with 
fheir  friends;  to  have  started  from  the  dust^  at  the 


fi^st  sumittons  of  the  tmmpety  with  some  of  yon(!6!? 
frleJids  now  sfeatfed  on  that  cloud.  But  the  trumpet 
that  awoke  yon  happy  multitudes  pierced  not  these 
slumberer's  ears:  while  the  angels  of  God  wete  col- 
lecting them  from  the  foui*  winds  of  heaven,  these 
fetill  were  in  the  dust.  And,  behold!  when  that 
second  blast  aroused  them,  they  could  no  more  than 
barely  see  those  friends— see  them  at  a  distance,  a^ 
bove  the  region  of  that  fire.  Gaze  upon  them  they 
might,  gaze  upon  them  they  still  may;  but  they 
can  get  no  nearer*  That  curling  flame  opposes 
their  approach:  no  strong  angel  will  divide  it;  no 
minister  of  grace  will  lift  them  up  towards  those 
heights! --^Take  then  thy  look-— a  last,  he^tt-rend- 
iftg  look!  See  them  again  thou  shalt  not;  nor  never, 
never,  touch  them;  nor  speak  with  them  any  more. 
Haste!  one  look  of  anguish!  one  last,  one  rapid 
glance!  for,  lo^  the  books  are  opened;  a  world  k 
now  arraigned;  and  in  the  awful  expectancy  of  the 
last  just  judgment  every  other  thought  is  for  the  mo* 
mfent  swallowed  up* 

Brethren,  shall  we  I'ead  to  you  the  Records  of 
those  volumes?  shall  your  consciences  this  day 
read  to  you  the  record  of  your  lives?  Of  one  thing 
be  ye  sure  as  that  this  is  the  oracle  cf  the  living 
God^  every  thing  that  each  one  of  you  this  day  re- 
tn^^mbers,  and  much  more  that  ybit  have  forgotten— 
tvery  secret  thought  and  every  idle  word,  every 
deed  of  great  or  small  impoi'tance,  every  act  of 
goodness  even  to  the  giving  a  cup  of  cold  water  to 
n  disciple  of  the  Saviour  for  his  master's  sake— 


The  General  Judgment.  -M 

ftll— all  shall  at  tbat  hour  rise  up  in  remembrancfi 
before  Jesus  Christ.  And  your  own  hearts,  your 
memories,  are  also  in  his  hand;  that  band  will  re- 
vive  your  faded  recollections;  and  all  that  you  have 
been  will  rise  up  in  train  before  you.  It  will  be 
done  that  conscience  may  set  her  seal  to  his  decis^ 
sions,  and  heaven  and  eartli  and  hell  concede  th,e 
glory  of  his  righteousness. 

We  must  not  detain  you  with  the  details  of  that 
hour.  Friends,  you  will  be  there!  You  will  no 
doubt  see  them  all.  ¥et  fifteen  hundred  years^ 
jet  fourteen  hundred  years,  and  you  must  take 
your  station  on  the  right  hand  of  that  Judge;  or 
stand  below  upon  the  left,  among  those  who  shall 
be  quickened  last|  where  is  anguish,  and  horror, 
^nd  helj. 

Kead  for  yourselves  the  decisions  of  that  dajp 
Hear  the  Saviour  say  to  the  hosts  of  his  redeemed^ 
to  those  who  had  confided  in  him  because  they  felt 
that  they  could  not  save  themselves;  and  had  lov« 
ed  him  and  honoured  him,  because  they  hoped  for 
his  salvation;  hear  the  Saviour  say  to  them,  ^Come^ 
Hear  him  pronounce  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins^ 
through  the  merits  of  his  death;  the  acceptance  of 
their  persons,  through  his  own  complete  obedience; 
the  recompense  of  their  good  deeds,  recognized  and 
rewarded  by  condescension  and  munificence:*— 
Hear  them  judged  upon  that  ground  on  which  alone 
God  can  be  just,  and  the  justifier  of  the  ungodly 
believing  in  his  Son: — then  mark  the  final  seateuce^ 
^^come;  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kiiif  ^ 


g^  Tlie  General  Judgment. 

dom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the 
World.'^* 

Now  mark  the  sentence  that  sheds  darkness  on 
the  left.  The  innumerable  multitudes  that  throng 
together  there  are  without  any  Saviour.  Many  of 
them  were  entreated,  but  they  refused  to  apply  to 
him:  they  were  warned,  but  they  would  not  hear- 
ken: they  were  assailed  with  argument;  they  even 
professed  conviction  of  the  necessity  of  making  ap- 
plication to  the  Saviour;  but  they  still  defered  it, 
they  waited  for  a  happier  mood  or  a  more  conveni- 
ent season;  and  they  died  as  they  had  lived.  They 
HAVE  NO  Saviour:  they  stand  upon  the  footing  of 
their  individual  deeds:  justice,  of  course^  condemns 
them^  and  the  sentence  is  "de/party 

Ages  have  testified  that  the  voice  of  Jesus  Christ 
is  the  voice  of  the  omnipotent.  No  sooner  does  he 
speak  than  he  executes  the  sentence.  Forthwith 
that  flame  that  burst  from  beneath  the  throne,  and 
had  rolled  in  volumes  harmless  though  terrific — 
forthwith  that  flame  darts  forward  on  the  crowd; 
flash  upon  flashy  flash  upon  flish  brings  its  ap- 
proaches nearer.  There  is  no  longer  space  to  throw 
themselves  prostrate  and  supplicate  the  Judge: 
there  is  no  longer  leisure  to  wring  their  hands  in  ag- 
ony. Volume  rolls  over  volume,  flash  darts  onward 
after  flash;  and  at  each  successive  impulse  the  ghast- 
^ly  throng  gives  back— till,  lo!  the  mouth  of  unfath- 
omable  helll  and  they  are  gone  forever!! 

^Matt.  XXV.  S% 


Tlie  General  Judgment.  33 

&  God!  the  God  of  all  salvation!  deliver  us— = 
deliver  all  this  people,  from  the  honors  of  that  day! 
Brethren,  those  horrors  are  only  just  commencing. 
On  next  Lord's  day  we  expect  to  lead  you  down  to 
survey  that  region  of  unutterable  woe.  AVe  w  ill  do 
it  with  the  hope  of  bringing  you  up  again,  and  of 
planting  you  on  that  cloud  whence  it  still  must  be 
your  lot  to  survey  this  scene  of  horror;  but  not  to 
survey  it  as  those  who  have  no  hope.  Were  it  not 
for  this,  it  would  be  to  us  a  painful  task  to  unveil 
the  solemnities  of  the  eternal  world;  for  the  des- 
cription of  this  scene  could  have  no  other  effect  than 
io  torment  you  before  the  time. 

And  now  remember,  we  pray  you^  that  terrific  as 
has  been  our  painting,  it  has  been  taken  in  every 
instance  from  the  word  of  truth.  So  far  have  we 
been  from  giving  the  reins  to  fancy,  so  far  from  de- 
picting even  all  that  the  scriptures  tell  us  about  tliat 
momentous  hour,  that  our  description  has  fallen 
short  of  the  half  of  what  they  tell  us. 

Will  you  then  call  it  wisdom  to  shun  all  care^ 
by  closing  your  bibles  and  absenting  yourselves  in- 
tirely  from  the  public  assemblies  of  the  church  of 
God!  Will  you  foolishly  conclude  that  to  forget 
these  things  is  to  put  off  the  evil  day,  or  to  render 
the  danger  less!  Nay,  if  you  will  have  it  so,  I  will 
shut  this  Bible.  And  now — where  is  your  hope? 
Htill  it  is  true,  though  you  had  never  heard  it,  tJiat 
he  day  is  appointed,  and  that  these  terrors  come, 
itiilit  is  true;  though  you  wish  to  forget  it.  that  your 

E  '       '        ' 


34  The  General  Judgment, 

every  word   and  deed,   and  every  secret  tlionght^ 
s  all  be  sifted  in  tliat  jadgraent.     All  sinful  men 
s    ill  see  it,  though  now  they  do  not  fear  it.     All 
heathen  men  shall  witness  it,  though  now  they  do 
not  know  it.     The  thing  is  a  truth,  independently 
of  scriptural  attestation  to  it.     The  scriptures  only 
tell  you,  that  you  may  prepare  for  it  in  time.  They 
also  tell  vou  that  the  Beios:  who  then   shall  sit  a 
rigorous  Judge^  stands  now  a  most  compassionate 
and  all-sufficient  Saviour.    They  invite  you  to  come 
to  him  like  the  leprous  and  the  blind,  the   palsied 
and  the  lame,  in  the  days  when  he  was  like  your- 
selves a  son  of  temptation  and  ol  sorrow:  and  that 
same    truth  that  shall    seal    the    decision    of    the 
general    judgment^    now  seals    the    cheering    as- 
sui-ance  to  all  nations,  that    whosoever  will  come 
to  Jesus  Christ  shall  in  no  wise  perish,  but  shall 
have  eternal  life.     But  then  you  must  come  to  him 
as  to  a  Saviour  from  your  sinfulness,  as   well  as 
fri-m  the  terrors  of  a  general  judgment.     You  must 
obey  his  commandment,  "^-take  my  yoke  upon  you 
and  learn  of  mi\'^     You  must  not  be   ashamed  of 
Mm — short-sighted,  foolish  creatures!    ashamed  of 
him  whose  gh.)?  y  we  just  now  saw!  at  whose  terrors 
we  were  afrairil— You  must  not  be  ashamed  of  him: 
you  must  put  in  your  lot  with  Jesus   Christ:    you 
must  avow  your  election  before  earth  and  heaven: 
or  you   must  abide  the  alternative — Jesus  Christ 
lias  sworn  it — ^» whosoever  sJiall  be  asliamed  of  nif 
and  of  my  words/ of  hiui  shall  the  Son  of  man  bf' 


Tlie  General  Judgment,  35 

ashamed^  when  lie  shall  come  in  his  own  glory,  and 
in  his  Father's  and  of  the  holy  angels. ''* 

Make  now  your  election.  Friends  of  my  heart 
— you  for  whose  happiness  I  would  gladly  spend 
my  life — yet  a  little  while,  and  the  liberty  of  choice 
will  be  taken  away  from  you  forever.  Yet  twenty 
years,  yet  forty  years,  and  most  of  you  will  slumber^ 
only  to  be  awakened  by  the  arch-angePs  trumpet. 
Yet  fifteen  hundred,  yet  fourteen  hundred  years, 
^nd  ye  awake  to  sleep  no  more! 

Son  of  God,  thy  message  is  delivered!  Saviour 
of  the  world,  let  it  not  return  unto  thee  void!  May 
all  this  people  consider  their  latter  end!  vl  ay  these 
bones  so  dead  and  dry  become  the  quickened  of 
thy  Spirit!  And  may  I  w ho  sow,  and  these  who 
reap,  arise  and  rejoice  together,  in  that  glad  hour 
when  thy  glory  shall  be  consummated,  and  thy  joy 
shall  be  full! — -^Imen. 

Luke  IX.  S6. 


©lEiBmcM  aa 


HELL. 

^^Toi^het  is  ordained  of  old;  yen  for  the  Jcivg  H  li 
jjvepared;  he  hath  made  it  deej)  and  large;  the 
'pile  thereof  is  fire  and  much  icood:  the  breath 
of  Jehovah  J  like  a  stream  of  brimstone,  doth  kin^ 
die  it,^^  Isaiah,  xxx.  38. 

^^Gursed  be  my  father  who  kekl  back  my  feet 
from  entering  on  tlie  way  of  life.''  \^  hen  one  of 
Biinyan's  female  Pilgrims  heard  this  harrowing 
sentence,  as  it  rose  np  to  the  regions  of  mortal 
health  and  hope,  through  that  famous  '^bye-way'^ 
to  the  land  of  darkness,  we  are  t(dd  she  trembled 
and  turned  away  with  horror;  and  looking  fearful- 
ly upon  her  guides,  with  half-formed  words  and 
pale  and  quivering  lip,  she  beckoned  them  to  lead 
lieivoff. 

"W  hat,  to-day,  my  brethren,  are  to  be  youi'  emotions* 
whether  paleness  shall  chase  away  the  glow  upon 
your  cheeks;  whether  horror  shall  unstring  or  ren- 

der  rigid  every  nerve;  the  progress  of  our  hour  can 
alone  disclose.     But  we  meet  you  this  morning?  a^s 


m  Metl 

those  slieplierds  met  the  pilajrims,  to  shew  you 
fearful  slights.  You  shall  more  than  hear  that  voice 
of  lameutation  that  made  the  pilgrims  startle.  You 
^hall  note  scenes  more  horrifying  than  that  hopeless 
Wailing  that  unstrung  the  nerves  of  Mercy. — You 
pondered  last  Lord's  day  the  revelation  of  God's 
eternal  righteousness,  in  the  decisitms  o^*  the  gene- 
ral judgment.  You  stood  at  the  opening  of  that 
^<bye-way"  to  the  abodes  of  wretchedness  through 
which  nothing  could  be  perceived  but  smoke  and 
pitchy  darkness,  and  by  which  nothing  ascended 
but  the  sound  of  distant  wailing.  You  saw  how 
Topliet  opened  w  ide  her  infernal  jaws  to  receive  at 
once  a  w  orld  of  sinfnl  men;  you  saw  how  they  were 
urged  to  the  very  brink,  then  precipitated  down  the 
unfathomable  steep,  by  that  fierce  and  bickering 
flame,  that  rolled  its  volumes  from  beneath  the  judg- 
ment-Seat. 

To-day  we  Would  lead  your  contemplations  down 
through  these  yet  unbarred  gates  of  everlasting 
death.  We  follow^  no  other  guide  thari  the  scriptures 
of  truth.  We  portray  no  scenes  but  those  which 
the  Spirit  of  truth  has  said  shall  come  to  pass.  And 
we  attempt  indeed  most  cheerfully  this  perilous 
descent;  for  it  is  in  the  hope  that  you — even  you— 
may  be  stirred  up  to  consider  your  latter  end,  and 
tread  only  this  once  this  vale  of  many  horrors,  that 
ybu  may  take  leave  of  it  forever. 

We  cannot  delay  to  unfold  the  occasi^m  on  which 
tliese  words  were  spoken.     It  is  sufficient  for  yon 


Hell.  m 

to  know  that  they  relate  to  that  proud  Assyria:^ 
conqueror  who  having  laid  waste  the  nations,  and 
trodden  down  the  land  of  Palestine,  besieged  Jeru- 
salem, threatened  loudly  her  holy  and  magnificent 
temple,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  express  his  defi- 
ance o*  the  Ood  of  Israel.  In  the  compass  of  one 
night  the  pestilence  wasted  185,000  of  his  men. 
In  the  city  of  Nineveh,  in  the  temple  of  his  idol^ 
his  sons  conspired  and  slew  him;  and  lo,  says  oujf 
prophet,  behold  the  end  of  this  vain  boaster!  AH 
hell  was  moved  to  meet  him:  malignant  spirits  cri- 
ed, ^'art  thou  too  come  down?  art  thou  become  as 
one  of  us?''  This  is  tophet;  this  is  the  spirit  that 
reigns  among  its  myriads.  "Ji  was  ordained  qI 
old;  for  the  king  it  was  prepared,''  &c. 

We  stop  not  at  its  entrance;  we  will  walk  through 
this  land  of  horrors,  in  the  length  of  it,  and  in  tli^ 
breadth  of  it.  We  will  see  how  all  life  there  with- 
ers beneath  the  curse.  No  fiowers  deck  it;  no  bree- 
zes fan  it;  no  sun  of  heaven  cheers  it;  no  busy 
schemes,  no  cheerful  hope,  no  playful  fancy,  no  no- 
ble daring,  variegate  it.  It  is  that  place  prepared 
to  teach  the  universe  how  slender  their  resources^ 
where  almighty  power  does  not  decorate  the  dweU 
ling:  it  is  that  place  prepared  to  attest  the  resour- 
ces of  almighty  God,  how  like  himself,  how  far  a^ 
bove  our  thoughts,  how  high  above  our  ways,  whsr 
ther  lie  deals  out  the  blessing  or  the  curse. 

You  will  noty  we  hope,  desire  to  be  delayed  by 
fruitless  and  unwarranted  dis(|uisitions  on  the  ([uei<» 


4d  Hell. 

tions  so  often  urged  in  relation  to  the  locality  of  the 
place  of  punishment,  and  the  nature  of  its  fires.  At 
a  time  when  less  important  matters  pressed  us,  we 
would  willingly  give  our  own  ideas  on  these  ques- 
tions, in  so  far  as  any  thing  can  be  clearly  inferred 
from  scripture.  But  as  the  answers  must  invcdve 
metaphysical  discussions  both  tedious  and  difficult, 
we  cannot  now  desert  the  plain  and  open  road  to 
enter  on  these  crooked  and  tangled  paths.  It  may 
be  within  or  without  the  limits  of  this  great  and  vis- 
ible creation.  It  may  be  separated  from  the  fair 
and  happy  universe  eitlier  by  distances  immeasura- 
ble, or  by  the  different  organization  of  those  who 
inhabit  it — an  organization  which  fits  them  to  per- 
ceive no  objects  but  those  of  a  particular  class,  to 
which  the  channels  of  perception  are  adapted.  We 
know  not.  All  that  we  at  present  state  as  certain 
on  the  subject  is,  that  it  is  <^.  r^hiined  of  old;"  r.Kd 
that  <<the  breath  of  the  Lord  tike  a  stream  of  brim- 
stone doth  kindle  it.''  The  jtlace.  (if  indeed  it  have 
any  relation  to  place,)  the  nature  of  it,  will  be 
known  in  that  dread  hour,  when  death  and  hell 
shall  vomit  forth  their  millions,  and  sist  them  before 
the  unreproveable  tiibunal  of  Messiah. 

We  will  sum  up  all  that  we  have  time  to  say  up- 
on this  subject,  in  these  two  plain  and  scriptural  i- 
ileas:  the  horror^  of  the  place,  and  state,  consist 

I,  In  eternal  banishment  from  God's  fair  aa^ 
good  creation;   mv\ 

XI.  In  the  suffentig  ox  eteruai  pain. 


Hell  .  41 

I.  The  complete  separation  of  the  region  of 
curse  from  all  that  is  orderly  and  happy  in  creation 
is  often  and  most  clearly  taught  in  scripture.  It  is 
a  place  of  ^^outer  darkness;^'  it  is  a  prison  where 
captives  are  ^^reserved  in  chains  of  darkness;''  it  is 
^^a  lake  that  hums  with  fire  and  hrimstone;"  it  is 
divided  from  the  whole  creation  by  a  gulf  that,  af- 
ter the  judgment,  will  be  impassible.  These  and  a 
variety  of  similar  assurances  you  will  readily  re- 
collect. Nor  is  this  a  mere  arbitrary  or  indifferent 
arrangement.  It  wears  the  stamp  cf  the  strictest 
propriety,  and  even  of  the  strongest  necessity. 

1 .  Why  should  the  presence  of  beings  polluted 
beyond  measure,  and  hourly  growing  worse,  of  be- 
ings without  hope;  and  therefore  reckless  of  eve- 
ry consequence  and  fearless  of  all  law, — why  should 
their  presence  be  suffered  to  harrow  up  the  feelings 
of  the  good  and  happy,  or  to  degrade  and  pollute 
the  beautiful  scenery  of  God's  perfect  universe? 
Fearless  of  God,  and  hopeless  of  amendment,  it  ig 
right  and  necessary  that  they  be  adjudged  to  a  state 
of  eternal  separation. 

3.  But  they  might  do  more  than  pollute;  they 
might  corrupt,  they  might  destroy.  Eternity  will 
not  alter,  however  it  may  augment,  the  powers  and 
faculties,  physical  and  intellectual,  of  tlic  happy  or 
the  miserable.  They  must  still  be  the  same  beings^, 
regulated  in  their  feelings  and  sensations,  in  their 
motives  and  conduct,  by  the  very  laws  that  regu- 
late them  now.     We  shall  hereafter  see  this  to  he 

F  ■ 


4^  Hell. 

a  source  of  grievous  puuislmient.  But  were  sucl^ 
fienuisli  spirits  let  loose  in  the  full  exercise  of  their 
appropriate  powers,  who  can  tell  the  havoc  that 
malice  might  prompt  and  cunning  spread  among 
the  works  of  God!  Upon  themselves  and  among 
themselves  let  all  their  powers  be  spent.  Protect 
the  happy  universe!  keep  them  by  themselves! 

3.  Nor  might  violence  alone  prevail.  The  holy 
and  the  happy  might  be  corrupted  by  them.  We 
are  social  beings  by  the  very  constitution  of  our  na- 
ture; capable  of  influencing  and  of  being  influenced 
by  one  another.  The  secret  of  all  happiness,  the 
spur  to  all  exertion,  the  very  love  of  glory,  spring 
from  social  feeling — from  that  y^v^  feeling  which 
must  cease  to  be,  before  we  can  f)e  immovable  by 
the  iniiuence  of  those  around  us.  Neither  the  bliss 
of  heaven  nor  the  anguish  of  hell  can  prevail  to 
change  our  nature:  we  must  be  social  beings  still; 
anci  the  laws  of  our  feeling,  must  be  the  laws  of 
social  life.  The  stability  of  the  innocent  therefore 
absolutely  demands  the  banishment  of  the  impure; 
lest  in  some  sad  hour,  some  slight  suggestion,  some 
well  laid  train,  some  specious  lure,  should  rob  them 
of  tiseir  innocence  and  spread  infection  roijnd.  We 
are  not  to  forget  that  one  single  taint,  one  momen- 
tary feeling,  the  very  slight^est  digression  from  the 
law  of  upiightness,  brings  guilt  upon  the  con- 
science; therefore  sluices  most  certainly  the  foun- 
tains of  IHe,  and  hoists  the  iloodgates  of  pollution 
and  of  horror.     We  know  that  when  in  heaven  one 


iiau^^lity  spirit  fell,  the  impulse  flew  like  pestilence 
kmoiig  the  ranks  of  seraphim.  The  integrity  that 
chained  them  to  the  eternal  throne  gave  way;  and 
that  bond  once  severed,  they  swung  suddenlv  from 
their  moorings,  and  sunk— all  hell  will  tell  you 
how  rapid  and  how  low. 

Just  in  proportion  to  the  susceptibility  of  the 
heart,  just  hi  proportion  as  our  feelings  are  string 
land  tender,  we  are  liable  to  be  wrought  upon  by 
those  with  whom  we  come  in  contact,  provided  we 
regard  them  as  affectionate  and  guileless.  But  the 
iieart  of  the  innocent  is  naturally  susceptible;  the 
affections  of  the  innocent  are  strong  aud  tender. 
God  made  them  so;  and  he  made  them  so  in  kind- 
tiess,  that  they  might  be  capable  of  high  as  well  as 
hallowed  happiness.  Hence  results  the  danger 
of  exposing  the  innocent  to  any  unhallowed  im- 
pulse. Pollution  may  taint  them,  cunning  may 
mislead  them,  before  they  are  awire.  And  es- 
tranged though  never  so  little  from  the  way  of  up- 
rightness, tainted  however  slightly  b^  the  breath  of 
the  polluted,  they  are  innocent  ho  more.— Then  it 
is  in  mercy  to  the  happy  of  this  universe  that  ^^To- 
phetis  ordained  of  old."  Far  and  forever  be  remov- 
ed from  them  the  corrupter^s  blandisliments:  let  not 
the  guileless  be  cheated  of  their  hope:  let  not  the 
unthinking  be  surprised  into  transgression  by  the 
devices  of  that  forsaken,  but  sti'onga'rl  active,  por- 
tion of  creation.     Keep  them  by  themselves. 


4^  Well. 

II.     It  is  bternal  separation.     Now  attend  ye  (b 
the  punishment.     That  ])anishment  itself  forms  no 
small  item  in  the  list  of  endless  horrors.     But  to- 
day we  meet  the  objection  so  often  urged   against 
the  scriptures  iri  relation  to  this  subject.     It  is  be- 
neath the  dignity  of  Almighty  God,   we  hear,    to 
let  himself  dt)wn  as  the  tormentor  of  his  creatures. 
The  objection,  like  most  others  supposed  to  be 
levelled  against  the  doctrine  of  the  scriptures,  proves 
nothing  but  the  ignorance  or  the  misapprehension 
of  those  who  urge  il.     They  mistake  the  grossly 
vulgar  and   superstitious  notions  of  the  crowd  fot 
the  lessons  taught  us  in  the  page  of  inspiration.     It 
is  like  those  portraits  and  descriptions  of  the  fallen 
spirits  which  present  them  under  strange  and  even 
ludicrous  appearances,  with  cloven  feet,  and  crook- 
ed horns,  and  an  hundred  other  ridiculous  appen- 
dages.    Look  at  the  scriptural  account,  of  Lucifer 
for  instance,  and   you  find  quite  a  different  beitig. 
You  see  only  the  ruins  of  stupendous  greatness — • 
feeling  and  intellect  powerful  though  blighted,  ac- 
tive though  perverted:— You  s«e  him  an  archangel, 
though  archangel  fallen;  a  being  great  but  dreadful; 
changed  like  the  moon  when,  despoiled  of  all  her 
brightnes,   she  lowers  in  dim  eclipse.     This  the 
scriptures  tell  you  is  a  fallen  spirit.     Now   tln-ow 
away  your  conceptions,  idle  and  unfounded,  in  re- 
lation to  the  nature  of  eternal  punishment,  and  hear 
1  scriptural  account  of  these  abodes  of  horror. 
i.  We  said  it  is  banishment  from  God's  fair  and 


innocent  creation,  and  yoxx  approve  that  sentence 
well.  You  must  approve  the  sentence,  for  mark 
how  it  is  merited!  There  is  nothing  now  of  beau- 
ty or  of  blessedness  within  the  compass  of  this  wid» 
creation,  which  eternal  power  did  not  produce  and 
unfathomable  skill  arrange.  He  made  you.  H© 
fitted  you  up  with  noble  faculties,  and  with  avenues 
of  sensation  and  perception  which  prove  the  inlets 
of  ten  thousand  strong  and  pleasurable  feelings  de- 
rived from  things  around  you.  He  then  permit* 
you  to  enjoy  his  bounty;  he  prescribes  the  bounds, 
he  notes  the  order  in  which  you  may  enjoy  it;  and 
he  bids  you  remember,  love  him  and  be  happy.— 
And  you  do— -what?  You  convert  every  bounty  of 
munificent  providence  into  an  occasion  of  forgetting 
him,  a  reason  for  disobeying  him,  an  incitement  to 
those  excesses  which  dishonour  and  offend  him. 
You  make  the  very  liberality  with  which  he  has 
crowned  creation,  and  the  exquisite  skill  with  which 
he  has  adapted  you  to  reap  enjoyment  from  it,  a 
reason  for  loving  the  creature  more  than  him  who 
made  it,  and  who  made  it  for  your  happiness.  Your 
tenderest  affections  spurn  the  proffers  of  eternal  love, 
and  fasten  with  all  their  force  on  every  trifle  that 
surrounds  you.  You  pervert  your  noble  intellect 
and  all  your  exalted  faculties  from  their  just  and 
fittest  exercise,  and  degrade  them  like  slaves  to 
^•ater  for  your  appetites.  All  that  is  binding  in  th« 
commands  of  God,  all  that  is  sacred  in  his  institu- 
tions^ all  that  is  alluring  in  his  love^  is  neglected^ 


4(5  B'lL 

despised^  tMrnnled  down.     Your  tiealtti  ann  Toiii* 
liiiie^  your  affections  and  your  faculties,  the  li^litof 
heaven,  th6  whole  riches  of  creation,  are  prostituted 
in  the  pufsuit  of  selfish  short-lived  purposes.     And 
yoU^  ati  inteliectukt,  moral  and  immortal  being,  ac- 
'lually  live  ahd  think  and  feel  as  if  there  were  no 
fiod^  atid  as  if  you  dared  not  hope  a  destiny  high- 
er than  the  creatures  Grod  made  for  your  conven- 
ience.    Now  be  yourself  the  judge.     Is  it  unwor- 
thy of  God,  is  a  not  fair,  is  it  not  equal,  that  they 
who  refuse  the  Almighty  as  the  source  of  happi- 
liess,  who  even  pursue  their  happiness  in  defiance 
of  his  law^  and  abuse  for  that  end  the  riches  of  his 
it)wn  creatidri-^is  it  any  thing  more  than  just  that 
Ihey  be  banished  from  these  fair  scenes,  and  left  to 
ttraw  for  happiness  on  their  own  resources?     De- 
pitrt  from  God;  you  did  not,  would  not,  love  him  or 
obey  hini.     Depart  from  his  fair  and  obedient  cre- 
ation; while  it  was  your  home  you  but  abused  it, 
and  made  it  a  reason  for  dishonoring  him.     Go — 
take  up  your  abode  in   some  far  distant  quarter 
where  the  breath  of  the  Almighty  fans  not  the  air 
Ground  you.  but  all  is  stagnant  as  the  loathsoma 
fen  and  hateful  as  the  house''of  death.     Go  to  that 
dfear  region  where  the  light  of  heaven  sends  no 
Wandering  rays,  where  genial  sunbeams  never  clotheb 
the  scene  with  verdure  nor  sprinkle  it  withbeaven- 
stained  ifowers.     Go  pitch  your  abode  on  that  dask 
t)Uniing  marl;  ajid  let  other  thnn  the  almighty  i)ead- 
Vrfy  your  dwellings  let  other  than  his  exuberance 


Hell  ^ 

^pply  yonr  many  wants.— Wants?  Yos,  if  yoq[ 
are  a  created  being,  if  you  have  appetites,  fee)iiigs, 
faculties,  these  will  be  revived  with  your  reviving 
dust — every  law,  ^very  active  principle  of  your  be^ 
ing,  will  return  to  you  in  all  their  vigor.  Happj^ 
ness  will  still  be  the  great  desire  of  your  heart;  but 
behold  you  are  cut  off  from  all  in  which  you  ha<l 
sought  it;  every  resource  is  withdrawn  from  which 
you  could  posssibly  derive  it.  Let  memory  revert 
to  ancient  scenes  and  occupations,  let  appetite  crave^ 
let  passion  rage,  let  every  feeling,  every  active  prin^ 
eiple  of  your  being,  cry  o!it  for  happiness  and  for  ap. 
propriate  employment,  A  just  God  bids  you  be  hap- 
py if  you  can.  Your  passion  injures  no  one,  youH 
appetites  wrong  no  one.  If  without  the  living  firod, 
and  the  resources  of  his  all-sufficiency,  a  creatuirjB 
can  be  happy,  happy  let  it  be.  It  is  thus  that  jus-~ 
*ice  exacts  the  penal t;^  of  crime.  Men  foster  thelF 
appetites;  those  appetites  return  upon  them  ajid  burg 
and  flame  forever.  They  sicken,  they  faint  vvitl| 
desire,  but  creation's  riches  are  utterly  wiihdrajF% 
and  they  have  no  supply.  Those  appetites  x)ppr&s^ 
them,  those  passions  scourge  them,  those  habits 
return  upon  them  in  all  their  wonte.d  vigor^  but  they 
find  no  object  from  without  on  whicfi  to  fasten,  aiid 
they  turn  and  prey  upon  the  soul  that  uourij^hed 
them.  0  worm  that  never  dies!  O  fire  that  iievjer^^^ 
never  shall  be  quenched!  Thou  appetites  art  th^^ 
worm,  thou  passion  art  that  fire^  and  ye  sli^ll  jiy^ 
forever! 


m  MelL 

These  are  but  the  scenes  aroimd  the  gates  of  To^^ 
phet,  and  they  are  only  the  beginnings  of  many  sor- 
I'ows.  No,  God  does  not  degrade  himself  as  the 
tormentor  of  his  creatures.  Let  liim  only  withdraw 
the  bounty  they  abused,  and  they  are  already  miser- 
able. Let  him  only  revive  them  with  appetites  and 
passions  they  once  cherished,  then  let  them  alone — 
they  are  their  own  tormentors. — Say  you  who  are 
created  a  social  being,  a  being  with  affections  natu- 
rally strong  and  tender,  all  whose  pursuits,  and  e- 
yen  all  whose  offences  are  predicated  entirely  on 
the  laws  of  social  being — you  who  are  charmed, 
are  fired,  are  deluded,  are  ruined  by  ambition;  what 
would  you  do  were  your  abode  now  confined  to  that 
unholy  and  unsocial  place,  where  there  is  none  in 
all  the  universe  to  admire  or  applaud  you?  You  who 
feel  the  sacredness  of  friendship,  who  realize  that 
the  first  principle  of  happiness  is  love,  that  every 
thing  like  happiness  in  heaven  or  on  earth,  is  in  the 
interchange  of  love — what  would  you  think  of  be- 
ing adjudged  to  that  place  where  your  social  prin- 
ciple, where  the  law  of  love  continues  strong  as  ev- 
er, but  where  every  object  you  hear  and  see  is  dis- 
gusting from  pollution,  cr  hateful  from  passion,  and 
where  you  can  never  come  in  contact  with  aiighl;  that 
you  can  love?  What  would  yon  think  of  being  your- 
self given  up  to  be  hateful  and  hated,  without  one 
being  to  pity  you,  and  without  one  thing  that  loves 
you  in  the  universe  of  Grod?  Immortal  spirits,  that 
is  very  Tophef  f  and  thi^  shall  be  their  misery  ^Ylm 


Hell  4iU 

<ake  up  a  lodging  there.  Every  heart  is  wrapt 
in  selfishness;  every  brow  scowls  hatred  on  its  fellow; 
and  love  and  tenderness,  delightful  love  and  over« 
flowing  tenderness,  have  taken  leave  forever.  O 
feeling  bleak  and  dreary!  feeling  dark  and  dread- 
ful! The  bleakest  spot  on  earth  were  a  paradise  of 
sweets  contrasted  with  the  appearances  creatioa 
must  assume  in  the  apprehension  of  the  spirit  that  i 
loves  nothing  in  the  universe,  and  has  none  to  love  j 
itself. 

No,  God  is  not  the  tormentor  of  his  creaturcsi 
leave  them  to  themselves,  they  will  execute  his  sen^ 
tence. — Order  is  Heaven^s  first  law.  Social  be- 
ings only  then  act  with  energy  and  effect,  when  they 
unite  their  efforts,  when  they  submit  to  some  di- 
recting and  controling  principle,  when  they  put 
forth  their  powers  in  obedience  to  some  law,  God 
reigns  over  the  universe;  and  all  is  union,  harmony, 
and  success,  where  his  wise  ordination  is  regard- 
ed. Even  in  the  place  of  punishment  this  princi- 
ple still  prevails.  The  powers  of  Hell  have  their 
objects  in  view,  the  dishonour  of  God,  the  ruin  of 
mankind;  and  they  now  act  in  concert,  they  obey  a 
leader,  they  unite  to  fulfil  his  plans,  that  their  ends 
may  be  obtained.  We  therefore  read  of  the  chief 
apostate  as  being  ^^the  prince  of  the  powers  of  the 
air.'^  But  at  the  general  judgment,  even  that  slight 
bond  of  union  will  be  broken;  the  measure  of  their 
guilt  and  punishment  will  then  be  full:  and  having 
no  more  inducement  to  obey  a  leader,  every  bon4 


m  Metl 

being  broken,  all  subjection  spurned,  all  order  dis-. 
rega.  ded,  what  tongue  can  tell,  what  heart  conceive^ 
the  wild  confusion  of  the  place  of  woe!  It  is  each 
one  for  himself,  defying  and  defu  dl  each  spirit  op- 
posing every  other  spirit!  And  Tophet  shall  teach 
the  universe  the  benefit  of  order,  Tophet  shall 
«peak  the  blessedness  of  subjection  to  some  law, 
while  every  heart  is  tortured  by  conflicting  feelings, 
and  every  ear  distracted  with  the  eternal  din.  Lei 
r.TEHNiTY  ROLL  on!  There  no  sleep  shall  quell 
the  rampancy  of  passion:  eternity  shall  speak, 
through  all  her  rolling  years,  the  curse  of  social  be- 
ing, when  freed  from  social  law. 

But  why  should  we  attempt  to  trace  the  yet  uu- 
aiumbered  forms  in  which  the  laws  of  their  being 
bind  misery  on  those  who  are  ejected  from  the  care 
and  from  the  government  of  God?  In  body  they 
must  suffer  as  well  as  in  the  immaterial  part.  Those 
nerves,  those  fibres,  every  thing  that  had  been  abu- 
sed in  being  made  an  incentive  to  iniquity,  all  that 
had  been  prostituted  to  uiilawful  purposes,  all  that 
had  been  degraded  as  the  instrument  of  sin--what- 
ever  had  been  in  any  way  perverted,  when  a  wise 
and  bountiful  God  had  made  it  a  mean  of  innocent 
delight— all  these  shall  be  only  known,  thencefor- 
ward and  forever,  as  the  avenues  of  pain.  Do  not 
ask  me  how  the  body  shall  be  made  to  suffer— eter- 
. '  nally  to  sHffer--without  being  wasted  or  weakened. 
I  cannot  fathom  the  resources  of  the  Omnipot  nt. 
I  cannot  tell  in 'what  way  he  may  so  (String  tha 


mi  u 

j&erves,  that  every  movement  shall  extort  tliie  shriek 
of  agony,  and  every  pulsation  prove  a  tiirob  of 
j)ain.  But  I  know  who  has  announced  his  resolu- 
tion so  to  do.  I  know  who  has  compared  the  keen- 
itiess  of  that  anguish  to  the  most  exquisite  misery 
Hvhich  human  nature  endjires.  And  how  shall  I 
respond,  when  God  repeats  his  challenge,  ^*who 
can  dwell  with  devouring  fire?  who  can  dwell  \\ih 
everlasting  burnings?"  1,  whose  very  heart  woi  d. 
die  within  me  to  think  only  of  heing  parched  With 
an  eternal  fever,  or  of  grappling  with  the  cravings 
of  ever-gnawiiig  hunger,  or  even  pining  under  the 
anguish  of  eternal  head-ache— how  should  1  des- 
cribe, were  it  even  possible  to  conceive,  the  ways  of 
the  Almighty,  when  he  strings  every  nerve  to  vib- 
rate only  agotiy,  and  opens  every  sense  as  a  rivulet 
of  woe! 

We  liave  not  time  to  dwell  on  these  feeble  deline- 
ations. We  cannoi  stop  to  note  tlie  burdens  impo- 
sed by  the  self- accusing  spirit.  When  it  summons  its 
Recollections  to  all  that  it  has  done,  all  that  it  has 
neglected,  all  that  it  has  abused,  all  that  it  has  lost. 
My  text  names  one  item  in  the  list  of  future  ills;  it 
is  the  chief  of  all  horrors;  and  with  it  we  will  con- 
clude this  fearful  and  too  painful  survey.  While 
^•tlie  pile"  of  Tophet  ^^is  fire  and  much  wood,"  ^'the 
breath  (the  Spirit)  of  the  Lord,  like  a  stream  of  brim- 
stone, doth  kindle  it."  We  said  God  does  not  de- 
;grade  himself  to  become  a  tormentor  of  his  creatures: 
-and  we  spoke  it  trdy.     But  we  will  tell  you  whal 


i^^  Hell 

he  does  do.  He  leaves  them  to  themselves^  atid 
that  desertion  is  perdition.  The  Holy  Spirit — ^the 
fountain  of  all  life,  the  author  of  every  delightful 
sensation  and  perception — that  Holy  Spirit  utterly 
deserts  them.  We  cannot  exactly  define  to  yoU 
what  is  to  be  understood  by  this  desertion  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Neither  you  nor  1  have  ever  expe* 
tienced  it:  and  1  hope  in  God  that  none  of  us  ever 
may.  But  this  much  we  do  know:  the  Spirit  of 
God  is  the  immediate  author  and  maintainer  of  all 
that  we  call  life>  light,  and  appropriate  activity  of 
any  description  whatsoever.  He  breathes  in  the  flow- 
ers, he  shines  in  the  light,  he  animates  every  ob* 
,}ect,  he  lives  in  every  living  scene.  It  is  his  pre- 
sence that  cheers  us  and  sustains  our  feelings;  it  is 
liis  intelligence  that  irradiates  our  understandings, 
and  imparts  energy  to  our  faculties;  and  his  activi- 
ty is  in  some  sort  identified  with  our  every  exer- 
tion^ and  sensation,  and  perception.  It  is  emphat- 
ically true,  with  respect  to  all  the  activities  of  our 
^  being,  that  <^in  him  we  live  and  move."*  Life  is 
f  ^peculiarly  his  department;  life  in  all  its  exercise, 
as  well  as  in  its  origin.  We  never  lived  without 
him;  and  we,  therefore,  cannot  discriminate  between 
the  activities  of  our  being  as  they  subsist  by  his 
support,  and  as  they  may  be  said  to  be  more  pro- 
perly our  own.  But  they  are  not  inseparable.  In* 
^  stances  there  have  been^  many  instances,  in  which 

^cts,  xvii.  is. 


Wilful  men  have  been  deserted  by  the  Spirit,  and 
sealed  up  in  this  life  to  eternal  reprobation  And 
it  well  deserves  our  notice  that  no  such  instance  has 
at  any  time  occurred  in  which  the  unhappy  suffer* 
ers  did  not  distinctly  note  the  very  moment  when 
the  Holy  Spirit  left  them.  We  appeal  to  every 
case  of  absolute  despair  that  is  any  where  to  b© 
found  on  record. — The  fact  is  remarkable;  but  it  ig 
precisely  such  as  the  holy  scriptures  might  lead  us 
to  anticipate.  We,  however,  who  have  been  sus- 
tained and  animated  and  cheered,  from  our  very 
infancy,  by  that  good  Spirit  of  God,  We  can  form 
no  conception — no  clear  conception — of  the  feeling 
that  must  ensue,  when  the  Holy  Spirit  deserts  a 
mortal  or  immortal  being,  and  leaves  them,  so  to 
speak,  to  sustain  the  weight  of  their  own  existence. 
They  who  experience  it  can  tell  the  very  moment; 
they  have  a  sort  of  consciousness — a  manner  of  ex- 
istence— which  they  never  had  before.  Jt  is  ours 
only  to  discover  that  every  thing  like  exhilaration, 
every  thing  like  elasticity  and  buoyancj  of  spirit, 
ceases  utterly:  the  heart  is  rendered  a  perfect  des- 
olatiou,  incapable  of  one  kindly  feeling:  and  con- 
sciousness, thus  left  unsupported  by  attachments; 
sits  heavy — heavy — on  the  soul. 

Let  the  sufferings  of  the  Saviour  display  the  op- 
eration of  this  ingredient  in  the  cup  of  man\s  perdi- 
tion. He  drained  to  the  uttermost  the  cup  of  penaU 
iy}  and  this  dereliction  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  to 
him  the  most  horrifying  of  all  his  suiTerings,     He 


S4  jfpit 

liad  endured  without  a  murmur  all  that  th6  cruel* 
ty  of  man  and  craft  of  devils  were  able  to  inflicts 
Even  ^mid  the  horrors  of  Gethsemane's  garden. 
When  he  endured  the  direct  pressure  of  the  Al- 
mighty's Wraths  and  suffered  agony  s^o  extreme  that 
the  tender  ramifications  of  the  blood  vessels  burst, 
and  his  whole  frame  became  coveted  with  drops  of 
ibloody  sweat,  even  then,  it  is  recorded,  he  only 
Wept  and  prayed.  But  when  upon  the  cross  he 
sustained  tliis  last  and  most  agonizing  portion  of 
the  penalty  of  sin,  when  the  Holy  Spirit— who  had 
Iheretofore  played  like  a  lambent  fiame  around  his 
iieart-— when  that  Holy  Spirit  left  him,  he  cried  out 
for  very  agony,  ^'My  Crodj  my  (^od,  why  hast  thou 
forsaken  me.*'  Then  was  his  night  of  hoil^ors.  And 
had  he  been  less  than  divine,  had  less  than  his  own 
^11  sufficiency  sustained  him,  that  desertion  of  God's 
Spirit  had  been  to  hiiti)  as  to  every  creature,  the 
inlet  of  despair;  and  Jesus  of  Nazareth  would  have 
ilied  upon  that  cross  with  curses  on  his  lips.-f^ 
Spirit  of  the  Eternal!  thou  oUly  canst  t^ll  the  hor- 
i*ors  of  that  heart  which  thy  ])resence  does  not  en- 
liven. ThoU  only  canst  delineate  th«  agonies  of 
that  Tophet,  that  dark  and  deep  and  stagnant  pool, 
in  which  no  living  joy  can  spring,  no  cheering  breath 
he  known.  Without  thy  animating,  all-enlivening 
influence,  the  arch-angel  Gabriel  were  a  fiend  ae- 
t:ursed. 

^  0,  God  (loss  not  degrade  himself  to  become  the 
tormentor  of  his  creatures.     And  yet  when   they 


4kll  into  the  fires  of  that  Tophet  it  may  very  co»^ 
gistently  appear  that  the  '^Spirit  of  the  Lord  as  a 
stream  of  brimstone  doth  kindle  tliem/'  There, 
as  in  every  ©ther  place,  the  God  of  immensity  is 
present.  ^^If  I  make  my  hed  in  hell/'  says  the 
Psalmist,  "thou  art  there:''  and  it  is  there  that  \\%, 
will  verify  that  assertion  of  the  scriptures,  ^^pur 
€rod  is  a  consuming  fire/'  Do  you  ask  me  how? 
Remember,  we  pray  you,  the  declaration  of  the 
scriptures,  that  flesh  aiul  blood,  in  its  present  weak 
condition,  cannot  possibly  enter  the^  kingdom  of 
heaven,  cannot  endure  its  light.  Remember  the 
answer  God  gave  to  his  servant  Moses,  when  he 
desired  to  see  his  face:  "Tlu,u  canst  not  seemyfa^e 
and  live."  But  in  heaven,  we  are  told,  all  see  hlui 
face  to  face;  they  know  him  intimately  as  they  are 
known;  they  have  access  direct,  as  friend  to  friencj 
on  earth.  But  their  faculties  are  strengthened  to 
grasp  the  amazing  object;  their  powers  are  sus^ 
tained  by  the  hand  of  the  Almighty;  his  radiane^e 
also  beams  in  mild  effulgence  just  as  they  can  bear 
it:  otherwise  even  in  heaven  the  faculties  would  be 
overpowered,  the  feelings  would  be  crushed.  As 
object  so  stupendous  would  bewilder  and  con^ 
found;  a  brilliancy  so  glorious,  such  insuffisFablfi 
brightness,  would  distract,  would  torture,  the  weak 
being  who  beheld  it.  Know  then  that  in  Tophet, 
as  in  the  seats  of  Paradise,  the  living  God  t§ 
known.  There  his  stupendous  greatness  is  reaL 
l^ed;  he  is  seeu  fage  to  faqe^  the^  kiiovv  \nm  fts  th^jf 


m  Hell. 

are  known;  but  it  is  by  faculties  merely  upheld  ki 
being,  not  strengthened  for  the  vision.  Compare 
for  one  moment  the  greater  with  the  less.  You 
know  the  lustre  of  the  sun  in  heaven;  you  know 
that  the  atmosphere  which  God  has  thrown  around 
^he  earth,  and  the  vapours  floating  in  it,  reflect  his 
beams  in  ten  thousand  different  ways,  and  shed  a 
mild  and  variant  lustre  on  the  whole  face  of  heav- 
en; which  could  never  be  but  for  this  terrestrial  at- 
jnosj)here.  Were  there  no  such  reflection,  were 
there  no  such  mild  relief,  the  sun  would  flame  in 
heaven  with  insufferable  brightness,  and  every  oth- 
er point  in  the  firmament  above  you  would  be  black 
as  pitchy  darkness.  Dreadful  then  would  be  the 
appearance  of  creation,  now  so  mild  and  lovely. 
But  if  that  sun  were  increased  a  thousand  fold  in 
brightness,  if  he  were  placed  before  your  eyes 
wherever  your  eyes  could  turn  them,  if  your  eyes 
were  so  diseased  that  tiie  feeblest  ray  tormented 
them,  what  pang,  what  horror  would  such  a  state 

involve! — Now  remember  that  in  that  Tophet 

the  beautiful  creation  is  excluded  from  every  view: 
his  works  do  not  reflect  the  mild  effulgence  of  Divin- 
ity: the  dwellers  there  see  only  God  himself:  they 
see  liim  darting  a  radiance  insufferably  bright,  as 
that  sun  would  shine  in  heaven,  did  no  atmosphere 
allay  his  intolerable  ray  nor  shed  the  glory  in 
reflected  lustre  round.  Whatever  way  they  turn 
themselves,  God  is  still  before  them;  and  they  see 
him  with  faculties  not  fitted  for  the  sight,     That 


Hell  '  Sf 

briglitness  wliicli  blesses  tlia  sound  eyes  of  heaven^ 
that  stupendous  greatness  which  elicits  joy  and 
wonder,  distract  and  overwhelm  the  weaklings  of 
the  pit.  You  know  something  of  the  eflfects  which 
are  wrought  on  our  weak  structure  when  stupendous 
grandeur  bursts  upon  the  view.  You  look  with  de- 
light on  the  beautiful  cascade  that  falls  in  moderate 
volume  from  a  moderate  height.  You  survey  witli 
feelings  still  supportable,  though  much  more  highly 
wrought,  the  cataract  that  roars  at  the  foot  of  some 
huge  precipice,  provided  it  be  formed  only  on  a 
scale  of  magnificence.  But  these  feelings  are 
wrought  up  to  a  pitch  of  agony,  you  are  unnerved^ 
you  are  overwhelmed,  when  you  approach  the  edge 
of  that  tremendous  steep  down  which  the  Niagara 
pours  his  dark  and  rapid  flood.  Say  then  what  fi- 
bres could  sustain  the  shock,  what  eye  could  gaze 
upon  the  the  maddening  sight,  were  the  St.  Law- 
rence and  the  Mississippi,  the  Amazon  and  La 
Plata,  united  in  one  flood,  and  were  that  flood  seen 
to  pitch  in  one  tremendous  sheet,  ten  thousand  fath« 
oms  wide,  ten  thousand  fatlioms  deep!!  We  speak 
perfectly  within  bounds  when  we  dare  and  do  as- 
sert that  such  a  sight  would  fell  you  as  certainly 
and  suddenly  as  if  smitten  with  heaven^s  own  thun- 
der. There  is  a  boundary,  and  it  lies  far  within 
the  limits  of  created  vastness,  beyond  which  our  fee- 
ble faculties  may  not  venture.  Different  degrees 
of  vastness  delight,  agitate,  unnerve,  destroy. 
Now,  let  it  not  be  thought  that  bein2;s  who  cannot 

H 


08  Hell 

sustain  the  perception  of  created  vastness  without 
a  feeling  of  indescribable  anguish,  may  neverthe« 
less  bear  up  under  the  ^nanifestations  of  that  stu- 
pendous greatness  which  we  attribute  to  him  who 
fills  his  own  immensity.  It  matters  not  what  is  the 
nature  or  character  of  the  object  that  obtrudes  itself 
upon  »)uf  feeble  sense.  In  order  to  overwhelm,  it 
is  only  necessary  that  it  be  vast  and  that  it  be  clear- 
ly seen.  Eternity  alone  can  clearly  reveal  how 
stupendous  is  that  Being  whom  Heaven  and  Hell 
behold.  But  we  ran  infer  something  of  his  great* 
m^ss  from  his  stupendous  works:  and  we— we  who 
are  lost  when  we  would  scan  those  works,  we  w  ho 
are  bewildered  in  the  labyrinths  of  creation,  we 
who  grow  giddy  when  imagination  sweeps  through 
the  immeasurable  lields  of  space,  and  searches  for 
worlds  untold  and  forms  of  being  unknown — what 
would  become  of  us,  how  should  we  feel,  if  we  saw 
that  very  being  whose  are  all  these  wonders!  if  we 
saw  him  as  he  is!  saw  him  clearly  as  we  disctrn 
his  nearest  works!  saw  him  in  his  immensity  as  the 
PRESENT  God!  Why  creation  in  all  its  vastness  is 
as  nothing  to  his  immensity.  The  glory  of  crea- 
ation  fades  before  bis  brightness.  We  should  not  sec 
it;  HIM  ONLY  we  should  see.  He  formed  it  by  a 
word;  at  a  word  he  could  destroy  it;  with  a  wold 
he  could  replace  it.  Yes,  the  glory  of  creation 
fades,  creation  becomes  a  shade,  before  that  im- 
rneufip  realKv!  and  at  the  view  of  his  stupendous 
greatness — see  him;  only  see  him  as  ho  isl — im- 


Bell  m 

fiieasured  space  in  an  instant  seems  to  dwindle  into 
the  compass  of  a  nutshell;  and  all  its  hosts  of  worlds 
appear  perfectly  within  reach,  as  little  things  which 
infancy  might  grasp  and  toss  about,  like  marbles, 
with  the  hand! 

What  mortal  ttian  can  isustain  a  sight  like  this! 
What  faculties,  unsublimed,  unsupported   by  the 
omnipotent,  could  endure  the  maddening  sease!  But 
in  Tophet  they  must  see  him  with  faculties  unsub- 
limed:  they    must  endure  the  manifestation  with 
unsupported  powers.     In  hell,  as  in   heaven,  Grod 
is  all  in  all.     There  he  shines,  the  unsetting  sun  of 
Tophet,  with  brightness  unreflected,   with  fervor 
unrelieved.     Him  only   they   discern;  all  else  is 
horrid  darkness:  him  they  ever  see;  and  that  sight 
is  deep  perdition.     All  else  that  we  have  heard  or 
can   imagiue  of  perdition, — the  reproaches  of  con- 
science; the  bitterness  of  repentance,  the  anguish  of 
regret,  the  horrors  of  remorse,  tlie  overwhelming 
anticipations  of  hopeless  eternity- — all  other  ingre- 
dients in  tlie  cup  of  woe,  are  never  to  be  named  in 
comparison  with  this.     To  ^^see  Grod!*'  to  ^^see  him 
as  he  is!'^  to  ^^see  him  face  to  face!'^  to  ^*know  him 
even  as  we  are  known!''  and  yet  to  be  merely  up- 
held in  being,  neither  we  ourselves  strengthened  to 
look  upon  that  sight,  nor  the  display  attempered  in 
consideration  ef  our  weakness!      Man,  thou  shalt 
see  the  magnificence  of  God.     All  people  shall  bear 
witness  to  the  supremacy  of  his  glory.     In  \v   in- 
"fetance  will  he  permit  himself  to  sink  in  the  estima- 


60  mi. 

iion  of  his  creatures.  No  intelligent  being,  nothing 
that  can  perceive  him,  shall  exist  in  ignorance  of 
God.  You,  my  dear  brethren,  must  shortly  see 
his  face:  yoti  must  every  one  dvrell  before  the  bright- 
ness of  his  countenance:  but  may  you  never — never 
—never  see  hira  thus! 

And  now  hasten  back,  fellow  mortals,  fellow 
sinners,  back — back  forever  from  this  den  of  many 
horrors.  You  have  heard  of  that  Saviour  who  left 
the  fallen  angels  to  bear  the  consequences  of  their 
apostacy,  and  fixed  his  love  and  pity  on  the  delud- 
ed sons  of  men.  Say,  now  you  are  retiring  from 
these  last  abodes  of  sorrow,  say  whether  it  was  un- 
natural for  angels  to  rejoice  at  the  undertaking  of 
Messiah,  when  he  came  to  snatch  you  from  going 
down  to  this  dark  dwelling  place.  Say  if  it  seems 
strange  that  they  should  have  raised  high,  at  his 
birth,  the  voice  of  joy  and  thanksgiving  to  the  Fath- 
er of  all  mercies^  and  of  warmest  gratulation  to  the 
helpless  sons  of  men.  Who  will  not  join  in  concert 
with  that  band  of  seraphim!  Whose  heart  will  not 
respond  to  the  heaven-taught  salutation!  ^'^Glory 
to  Grod  in  the  highest,  on  earth  peace,  and  good 
will  towards  men.'' 

Say  whether  it  seems  wonderful,  now  you  hav6 
shuddered  at  these  sights,  that  the  cherubim  of 
Crod,  intelligent  and  benevolent,  should  be  wrought 
up  even  to  ecstacy  at  the  conversion  of  a  sinner, 
more  readily  and  more  higlily  than  by  all  tlieir  in- 
terchange of  thought  and  kindly  feeling  Avitk  ninety 


tieU.  U 

and  nine  of  their  Jiiiidred  spirits,  spirits  pure  and 
happy  like  themselves,  and  who  therefore  have  no 
need  to  exercise  repentance,  and  no  occasion  for  an 
angel's  sympathies* 

Well  may  they  rejoice!  happy  spirits  of  heaven! 
for  they  know  full  well  the  value  of  the  Eternal's 
favor;  and  they  have  seen  the  anguish  that  is  mated 
with  his  curse.  With  deep  solicitude  the  hosts  of 
lieavcn  how,  while  I,  your  fellow  mortal,  unfold  in 
your  hearing  your  danger  and  your  duty:  with 
trembling  anxiety  they  watch  the  expression  of  your 
countenances;  they  pry  into  your  thoughts,  they 
wait  to  bear  the  tidings  joyfully  to  heaven,  when 
any  of  you  shall  consent  to  lay  hold  on  God's  sal- 
vation.  Yet  between  them  and  you  no  intercourse 
subsists;  no  personal  friendships  link  you;  no  mutu- 
al interests,  mutual  dangers,  mutual  benefits  endear 
you  to  each  other.  And  may  not  I,  w  ho  interchange 
with  you  many  an  act  o**  kindness^,  I,  who  have 
received  from  you  so  many  proofs  of  confidence,  I, 
w4io  am  bound  to  you  by  so  many  obligations,  may 
not  I — should  not  I — be  more  tremblingly  alive  to 
the  concerns  of  your  salvation?  How  can  I  think 
with  calmness  on  that  awful  desertion  of  God's  Ho- 
ly Spirit  which  must  blast  your  noble  faculties^  and 
sluice  your  hearts  forever  of  each  kind  and  gener 
ous  feeling  which  is  your  glory  and  your  joy!  How 
can  I  be  content  that  you  continue  to  put  from  yoti 
God's  great  salvation;  that  you  still  trample  on  his 
law;  tliat  you  neglect  to  supplicate  the  aid  of  Jesuit 


e^  Hell 

Christ;  that  you  perversely  reject  the  water  of  liif 
baptism^ — that  symbol  of  his  spirit, — and  his  sacra- 
Baental  cup — that  symbol  of  his  blood-^till  he  is- 
sue the  dread  sentence,  «Let  their  passions  be  their 
tyrants;^  ^they  are  joined  to  their  idols,  Holy  Spirit! 
let  them  alone.'  Ah,  how  would  such  a  sentence  rive 
many  of  those  hearts  now  so  nobJe  aiid  so  tender^ 
and  blight  that  beauty  which  his  bounteous  hand 
]has  given  you!  How  would  it  darken  many  of 
those  eyes  that  now  bend  on  me  their  rays  in  mild 
find  cheering  lustre^  and  blanch  those  cheeks,  now 
tinged  with  heaven's  own  roseate^  with  the  ashy' 
paleness  of  despair  and  horror! 

Friends,  may  you  now  lay  hold  on  God's  salva- 
tion! Give  cause  for  heaven  to  echo  to  the  lutes  of 
gladdened  seraphim!  Give  joy  to  me  who  love  you 
and  would  serve  you  with  my  life.  Say  now  to 
Jesus  Christ,  ^^we  accept  thy  great  salvation;'  ^we 
accept  the  symbols  of  thy  spirit  and  of  thy  bloodl^ 
So  shall  you  never  go  down  to  the  gates  of  death. 
So  shall  you  grapple  fearlessly  with  the  ^^King  of 
Terrors." — Why,  you  men  of  business,  do  you  de- 
lay this  deed  of  safety?  it  interferes  not  with  your 
employments,  with  your  checks  and  balances;  un- 
less it  be  your  purpose  to  trample  on  God's  laws 
that  you  may  tread  in  a  dishonest  and  dishonorable 
'Course.  Why  place  far  ahead  of  you  some  day  of 
^  glad  amendment?  "To-day,  if  you  will  hear  my 
voice,  harden  not  your  heart,"  is  the  warning  of 
that  MessiaJi  who  gave  his  life  to  save  you.     "Seek 


Hell  SB 

first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  his  righteousness,''  Is 
the  adviee  of  that  Messiah  who  never  gave  to  fallen, 
angels  the  choice  of  obeying  or  of  disobeying  him* 
Settle,  then,  to-day  the  question  of  chief  interest. 
Cease  from  the  delusion  of  postponing  to  futurity 
the  acceptance  of  an  offer  mercy  tenders  to  you  now- 
Cease  from  the  folly  of  stretching  forward  your  au-^ 
ticipation  to  the  coming  of  Messiah  in  his  millennia 
an  glory.  Better  attempt  your  safety  now^,  lest  the 
brightness  of  that  hour  shine  only  on  your  grave| 
lest  before  he  begin  to  gather  the  great  harvest  of 
the  nations,  you  be  beyond  the  hope  of  safety^ 
Better  poize  yourselves  now  for  a  noble  act  of  vir- 
tue, and  give  proof  of  the  soundness  of  your  prin° 
ciples  and  motives  by  bearing  up  against  the  tide* 
Thousands  are  called,  daily,  to  give  in  their  last 
account^  while  jet  the  chariot  of  Messiah  lingers: 
Thousands  are  led,  daily,  to  embrace  the  hope  of 
life  eternal,  and  thus  hasten,  in  their  measure,  the 
coming  of  Messiah.  To-day  we  lift  high  the  ban= 
ner  of  the  cross.  To-day  we  assure  you  that  God 
has  said,  and  sworn,  "I  have  no  pleasure  in  the 
death  of  the  wicked;  but  that  the  wicked  turn  from 
his  way  and  live.''^  Who  among  you  will  res- 
pond to  this  oath  of  the  Eternal,  ^^Behold,  we  come 
unto  thee;  for  thou  art  the  Lord  our  Godl^^f  Who 
will  tell  Messiah  how  much  they  value  his  salva- 
tion; and  make  proof  of  their  sincerity  by  assuming 
his  easy  yokel 

■^Kzek,  xxxiii.  11.     fJer.  iii.  %% 


64  MeU. 

Y6u  recently  noted  the  strict  scrutiny  of  tliejiulg- 
ment:  to-day  you  have  been  down  to  the  abodes  of 
guilt  and  sorrow:  on  next  Lord's  day  wt  hope  to 
lead  you  through  ^^the  blissful  seats  of  heaven:'^ 
on  the  succeeding  we  must  view  eternity  unfolding^ 
as  it  rolls^  the  destinies  of  this  great  universe.  We 
do  not  announce  these  things  merely  with  a  view  to 
excite  your  expectation.  Much  less  do  we  attempt 
them  for  the  purposes  of  display.  We  do  it  in 
the  hope  that  these  eternal  truths^  like  the  spear  of 
Ithuriel^  may  pierce  that  rind  in  which  most  of  you 
are  enveloped — that  covering  of  fashion  and  of 
worldly  cares  more  compact  and  impenetrable  than 
the  rind  of  Leviathan.* 


*"The  man  who  succeeds  in  buildinpj  up  a  church  in  this 
place,  will  have  to  pierce  the  rind  o(  Leviathan:  and  he  needs 
Ithuriel's  spear."  Such  was  the  remark  of  a  highly  valued 
friend,  as  well  as  fellow-labourer  in  the  kingdom  and  patience 
of  the  Saviour,  when  standing,  one  evening,  near  the  founda- 
tion of  Market-street  church,  about  the  tune  of  its  commence- 
ment.  The  expression  was  not  intended  to  convey  a  harsh 
reflection  or  the  good  people  of  Lexington;  but  merely  to 
indicate  the  speaker's  apprehension  of  the  difficulty  of  lead- 
jng  human  beings  to  reflect  seriously  and  steadily  on  the 
things  of  first  importance,  while  so  generally  and  intently 
occupied  with  business  or  amusements.  On  completing  the 
course  of  lectures,  which  laid  the  foundation  of  this  ''last  ap- 
jycal,"  and  when  announcing  to  the  congregation  his  inten- 
'tion  to  deliver  this  course  of  sermons,  the  author  was  some- 
how  lead  to  relate  to  them  this  anecdote.  The  repeated  al- 
lusions to  it  in  this  volume  will,  no  doubt,  be  thought  to  jus- 
tify  the  insertion  of  it  here. 


Helh  6d 

Son  of  God!  let  thme  own  truth  be  that  spear! 
Spirit  of  the  Eternal!  may  thy  vigor  push  it  home! 
May  the  touch  of  that  spear  transform  for  thine 
jibotje  these  noble  hearts^  and  enlist  in  thy  good 
work  these  minds  of  mighty  mould!  May  the  touch 
of  that  spear  seal  the  expression  of  seraphic  beau* 
ty  on  faces  that  often  speak  the  cherub^s  tender* 
ness!  And  thine  shall  be  the  glory  of  this  new  crem- 
ation, while  thatikfalDess  ^nd  blessedness  ^re  ours> 
Anjen, 


MiEm(DSi  aiiii. 


HEAVEN. 

^^T7ie  Lamb,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne^ 
shall  feed  them^  and  shall  lead  them  unto  liv- 
ing fountains  of  waters;  and  God  shall  wipe 
away  all  tears  from  their  eyesJ^ 

Rev.  vii.  17- 

'^Tf  in  this  life  only  we  had  hope,  w€  were  of  all 
ihen  most  miserable.'^  Never  was  sentiment  ut- 
tered with  more  heart-felt  pathos.  Never  did  senti- 
ment flow  from  the  lips  of  mortal  man,  under  a  more 
venerable  and  commanding  sanction.  Paul  was 
distinguished  from  th6  rest  of  primitive  Christians 
more  by  his  labours  than  his  sufferings:  and,  prob- 
ably, more  by  his  success  than  his  labours.  His 
^yes  were  often  blessed  with  no  ordinary  sight. 
In  his  rapid  progress  from  continent  to  continent, 
the  idols  of  the  heathen  sunk  before  the  standard 
which  he  bore;  and  often  his  feet  had  scarcely 
touched  the  wastes  of  Paganism,  ere  the  desert  be- 
gan to  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose. — Yet  intlhie 


midst  of  all  this  success;  cheered  as  he  was,  wliel- 
^ver  he  turned  his  steps,  with  the  smile  of  conti- 
jdeiice  and  love;  exhilarated  as  his  spirits  must  of  ne- 
cessity have  been,  wliBii  the  light  of  his  eloquence^ 
borne  home  and  blessed  by  the  Spirit  of  his  God> 
gave  joy  to  the  angels  as  they  beheld  its  mighty 
consequences, — yet — yet,  even  Paul  could  testify — 
the  venerated,  the  successful,  the  triumphant  Paul 
could  testify—that  his  life  would  have  been  most 
miserable,  but  for  the  hope  beyond  the  grave. 

Not  that  there  is  any  thing  in  Christianity  itself 
tb  render  men  unhappy.  It  is  the  stubbornness  of 
her  integrity,  it  is  her  rigid,  unvarying,  universal 
r^egard  to  righteousness,  to  the  law  of  God  and  to 
the  will  of  God.  These  accord  not  with  the  tem- 
porising policy  or  subtile  courtesy  of  the  world. 
And  the  result  must  be  one  almost  ceaseless  con- 
flict: that  very  result  so  distinctly  announced  by  the 
Saviour;  ^^I  came  not  to  send  peace  on  the  earthy 
hat  a  sword,''*  The  results  will  of  course  be  pain- 
ful, in  proportion  as  the  unti -christian  spirit  pre- 
vails. Imprisonments,  tortures  and  death  formed 
a  portion  of  those  results  in  Apostolic  times,  and 
in  many  an  <after  age.  Ask  then  a  prisoner,  se- 
cluded from  his  family,  shut  in  from  the  light  of 
heaven,  and  uiivisited  by  the  refreshing  breeze, 
ask  him,  when  pained  by  the  strictness  of  his  fet- 
ters and  bowed  down  by  their  weight,  ask  him  for 


his  estimate  of  present  happiness;  bid  him  say  \vha^ 
would  be  his  feelings  if  he  had  no  other,  no  eternal 
hope:  and  that  answer  would  pronounce  him  of  all 
men  the  most  miserable.  See  him  led  forth  and 
bound  upon  the  rack,  see  him  chained  to  the  stakft 
or  broken  on  the  wheel;  and  while  thus  yielding 
wp  his  life  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ,  while 
all  is  insult,  while  all  is  pang,  put  the  question  to 
him  again:  and  the  answer  still  returns  upon  you^ 
'*of  all  men  the  most  miserable*''  If  in  this  life 
only  we  had  hope,  who  then  would  be  a  Christian? 
If  conscious  innocence,  without  a  reference  to  that 
immaculate  tribunal,  were  tlie  alone  support,  who 
then  would  be  a  Christian? 

But  we  may  suppose  a  case — that  very  case  we 
were  just  now  reviewing — in  which  even  the  pris- 
on, the  shackles  and  the  stake  mark  an  enviable 
epoch  in  the  Christian's  life.  Long  before  the 
days  in  which  our  aged  Apostle  saw  this  revelation 
in  the  tsle  of  Patmos,  the  sword  and  the  fire,  the 
wild  beasts  and  the  cross,  had  done  their  appropri* 
ate  work.  Paul,  the  greatest  and  the  best  of  men, 
bad  ceased  from  the  sorrows  he  so  feelingly  re- 
cords, lie  w^as  beheaded  by  the  command  of  Nc* 
IX).  Most  of  the  other  Apostles,  not  protected  like 
him  by  the  privileges  of  iioman  citizen-ship,  had  en- 
durcd  far  bitterer  death.  Thousands  of  their  follow- 
ers have  shared  the  same  fate.  And  now,  in  the 
days  in  whicli  my  text  w  as  penned,  you  might  al- 
r-^ndy   read    the   record  of  the  Church's  sorrow's 


fd  Meavetc. 

WHtten  in  the  blood  of  her  bravest  aiid  holiest  meiii- 
fcers.  You  might  pass  by  many  a  solitary  spot^ 
within  the  Roman  Empire,  in  which  the  tall  grass 
tvavM  ovfer  the  remains  of  those  of  whom  the  world 
Was  not  worthy.  And  as  you  stodped  and  linger- 
ed over  the  solitary  spot,  your  voice  might  again 
swingle  with  the  sighing  of  the  breeze— '^ah!  wh6 
Ivould  be  a  Christian?'^ 

Ask  that  bright  circle  wlidiii  our  Apostle  saw  in 
Visioii^  at  the  end  of  the  first  century,  when  cruelty 
and  murder  h^d  hurried  many  Christians  home. 
Ask  what  inducement  ^diild  tempt  them  to  bear  a 
Christianas  sorrows?  Hear  the  lofty  anthem  they  are 
sweeping  from  their  harps  bedecked  with  immor-^ 
tal  amaranth;  hear  their  notes  of  gladness,  soft  a^ 
if  they  proceeded  from  the  lutes  of  seraphim;  and 
bid  those  harpers  tell  you  what  consideration  would 
Snduce  them  to  exchange  those  sounds  for  the  hoarse 
"Curses  of  a  jailor,  or  the  melancholy  clanking  of  a 
Christian's  chains.  Bid  them  say  if  they  could 
sto«p  to  such  a  state  as  that!  Ask  them,  and  they 
ivill  tell  you,  or  our  angel  interpreter  will  tell  you 
in  their  stead,  that  they  are  by  iio  means  strangers 
to  the  bitterness  you  mention;  they  themselves  once 
endured  it;  they  embraced  it  voluntarily.  For  these 
^— even  all  these  shining  and  triumphant  ones-— 
*^have  Come  out  of  great  tribulation;  and  have  washed 
their  robes  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the 
Inmb:  therefore  are  they  before  the  throne  of  God> 
tad  serve  him  day  andnightinhis  temple:  andhethat 


Heaven.  ?l 

^ilteth  on  the  throne  shall  dwell  among  them? 
They  shall  hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst  any  more^ 
neither  shall  the  sun  light  on  them,  nor  any  heat? 
For  the  lamb  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne 
shall  feed  them  and  lead  them  unto  living  fountain^ 
of  waters;  and  Gqd  shall  yv^ipe  away  all  tp^rs  froisi 
their  eyes," 

Brethren,  need  we  tell  you  that  this,  though  re- 
ferable in  the  first  instance  to  the  millennium,  is  in- 
deed a  picture  of  the  heavenly  state?  We  have 
come  down  to-day  to  depict  to  you  the  blessings  of 
that  state,  as  far  the  scriptures  unfold  it  to  our  hopes^ 
and  as  well  as  we  can  mount  to  the  height  of  such 
an  argument.  But  yet  we  know  well  tJiat  were  oup 
powers  far  greater  than  they  really  are,  and  werg 
our  spirits  electrified  beyond  their  actual  measure^ 
yet  all  would  be  beggared  by  such  a  mighty  theme^ 
We  know  that  in  th^at  world  eternal  and  invisibl§ 
there  is  much,  very  much,  that  eye  has  not  seen, 
nor  ear  heard,  neither  has  it  entered  into  the  he^it 
of  man  to  conceive.  W^e  tnt  partially  describe  li 
ivhen  we  tell  you,  with  our  text, 

I.  That  it  is  a  state  of  perfect  and  eternal  dsr 
liverance  from  every  kind  of  sorrow:  ^^God^  iU^ 
m,-rciful,  the  gracious  God,  shall  wip^  away  ^li 
tears  from  every  eye.'^     And 

II.  That  it  is  a  state  of  highest  honour  and  f^ 
iicity:  Jesus  Christ,  so  mighty,  so  liberal,  so  kiofjy 
Jesus  Christ  shall  feed  them;  ajBcI  shall  lead  tjiui^: 
byfuuntaias  of  living  water. 


J^  Heaven. 

I.  Heaven  is  a  state  of  complete  and  everlasting 
freedom  from  all  pain  and  sorrow.  It  would  be  a 
useless  as  well  as  vain  attempt  to  particularize  the 
miseries  from  which  the  expanded  gates  of  heaven 
proffer  a  safe  and  everlasting  refuge.  Every  nerve 
that  God  had  strung  to  thrill  with  pleasure^  every 
sense  that  he  had  fited  up  as  an  avenue  of  delight^ 
now  makes  far  different  report  of  terrestrial  things 
around  us;  tells  us  of  wants  and  of  woes  even  more 
than  of  the  blessings  of  God's  creation.  Every  rela- 
tion in  which  we  stand  as  social  beings,  and  which 
by  multiplying  the  number  of  objects  to  whom  our 
strongest  and  tenderest  feelings  might  be  attached, 
seems  to  multiply  occasions  for  joy  and  thanksgiving, 
^very  such  relation  is  now  a  poisoned  fountain  that 
sends  forth  a  stream  to  blight  and  not  to  bless  the 
verdure  on  its  banks.  We  are  pained  for  the  mis- 
eries and  disappointments  of  those  we  love;  or  we 
are  wounded  by  the  instability,  selfishness,  and 
even  enmity  of  those  whose  various  relations  ought 
to  have  rendered  our  interests  and  views  and  happi- 
ness the  same.  And,  independently  of  every  ex- 
ternal circumstance,  we  carry  about  within  us  a  bo- 
dy of  sin  and  death  that  works  a  world  of  woe. 
The  Psalmist  of  Israel  and  the  great  Apostle  of  the 
Gentiles,  two  of  the  greatest  and  best  men  who 
ever  lived,  in  detailing  their  own  feelings  speak 
volumes  on  this  subject.  Hear  the  harp  of  Israel 
t^ned  to  melanoholy  lays:  hear  it  accompanying 
fte  voice  of  one  of  the  best  of  me%  while  he  be- 


Heaven.  Jf^ 

iBoans  his  follies  and  bis  griefs:  hear  how  it  swells 
in  melancholy  dirge  when  he  speaks  of  guilt  pres- 
sing heavy  on  the  conscience,  and  of  an  heart  so 
often  sluiced  of  heaven^s  peaceful  consolations. 
Then  compare  these  mournful  tones  with  the  appal- 
ing  descriptions  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  when  he  gives 
you  his  catalogue  of  woes.  Hear  him  sum  up  all 
in  tbese  few  heart-sinking  words,  *^wretched  man 
that  I  am,  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of 
this  death!"*  and  when  you,  shall  have  done,  you 
will  hardly  require  a  comment  on  our  i^xX*^  for  no 
expositor  need  speak  the  occasions  of  those  tears 
which  the  God  of  salvation  will  wipe  from  every 
eye. 

Bis  sufficient  to  say  that  all  occasions  of  sorrow 
will  be  done  away  forever,  or  banished  to  that 
place  where  sin  yet  lives. 

1.  There  shall  be  no  more  sickness,  neither  pain, 
nor  death.  Deliverance  from  all  these  is  guaraur 
teed  in  the  nature  aad  properties  of  the  humau 
body  after  it  shall  have  been  remoulded  at  the  gen* 
eral  resurrection.  It  would  be  in  vain  for  us  to 
speculate  on  a  subject  of  this  kind.  Our  knowl- 
edge of  matter  is  limited,  of  course,  to  our  observa- 
tion of  its  properties:  and  we  have  seen  it  under  no 
other  than  its  more  gross  and  palpable  forms,  as 
constituting  a  portion  of  this  great  frame  of  thingsj 
and  as  it  is  debased  and  disordered  by  the  cureeo 

r 

^Jlom.  vii.  ^4?. 

K 


'^^  Heaven, 

But  we  liiiow  wel]  that  the  resources  of  the  Almigh-^ 
ty  are  illiaiitable:  we  know  that  he   has  spoken  of 
^^a  spiritual  body;''*  of  this  very  clay,  which  we 
now  bear  about  with  us,  being  sublimed  and  spirit- 
ualized, till  it  shall  lose  many   of  the   properties 
which  adapt  it  to  the  present  state  of  things,  and  as- 
sume the  very  appearance   of  the   Saviours  risen 
body.     We  refer  you,  then,  for  light  upon  this  sub- 
ject to  the  only   two  facts  that  ever  have  occurred 
illustrative  of  this  idea.     We  refer  you  to  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  translated  Elijah  and  transfigured 
Saviour,  w  hen  they  confered  together  on  one  of  the 
mountains  of  Palestine  in  presence  of  the  three  most 
favored  and  beloved  rUs:iples.     You  see  that  Eli- 
jrh.  still  severe  in  youthful  beauty;  and  you  note 
the  mild  radiance   of  the   Haviour's    countenancej 
when,  clrithed  in   heaven's   own    glories,   his  very 
raiment    became   '-white   and   glistering,"  and  his 
countenance  effulgent  as  the  unclouded  sun. — You 
^gain   behold   the   Saviour  when   he    visited    his 
Ap  '^tle  in  the  Isle  of  Patmos.     You  see  a  bright- 
ness   too  resplendent  for  mortal  vision  to  sustain; 
a  majesty  that  awes,  that  unnerves,  that  deprives 
of  animation,  the  good  old  man  to  whom  the  reve- 
lation is  made. 

We  prf^tend  to  no  other  description  of  the  eter- 

*  nal    stat'"     or   of  the  perfection  and  blessedness  of 

those   mortal  frames  which  the  resurrection  shalj 

^kVorinth,  xv.  44. 


ffeaDpno  Y^ 

fit  for  it,  tiiaii  that  which  the  scriptures  give.  Such, 
they  tell  you,  is  now  the  appearance  of  the  Sav- 
iour; and  such  glories  shall  invest  the  meanest  of 
his  people,  when  obeying  the  mandate  that  calls 
them  from  the  grave.  '^It  doth  not  yet  appear/' 
says  an  Apostle,  "what  we  shall  be:  but  we  know 
that,  when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like  him; 
for  we  shall  see  hinl  as  he  is."^  And  that  very 
sight  will  be  as  the  exertion  of  creative  energy;  it 
\vill  produce  in  those  who  see  him  an  assimilation 
wiih  himself. 

Tell  me,  then,  you  who  know  God's  all-suffi- 
ciency, you  who  can  scan  magnificence  in  the  order 
of  this  i^reat  universe,  you  who  see  the  traces  of 
exquisite  taste  and  of  unrivalled  skill  in  every  va- 
riant stripe  that  streaks  the  many  coloured  tulip,  and 
in  all  that  distinguishes  those  ten  thousand  other 
flowers  whi(  h  the  pencil  of  the  illmighty  has  made 
beauty  to  the  eye/ — Tell  me,  if  you  can,  where  will 
be  that  limit  of  beauty  or  of  dignity  which  God 
all-sufficient  will  assign  to  forms  that  he  takes  up 
to  dvvell  witli  him  in  his  immediate  presence,  and 
on  which  he  will  display  unreservedly  and  fully, 
not  partially  and  occasion^iily  as  in  our  sin-scathed 
Avorld,  the  riches  of  his  goodness  and  the  wonders 
of  his  skill.  There  every  countenance  shall  still 
retain  its  own  appropriate  expression:  for  variety 
marks  the  earth,  variety  strikes  you  every  where 

'*i  John  iii.  2. 


y%  iteaven. 

in  the  mighty  combinations  of  the  stars  of  heayeii) 
variety  is  beauty,  variety  is  blessedness,  and  all 
that  is  now  various  in  the  appearances  of  men  gives 
assurance  of  the  blessings  ol  variety  forever. 

See  then  that  amazing  company,  as  they  stand 
before  the  throne!  all  perfect  and  glorious  as  Jesus 
Christ  is  perfect!  See  the  small  and  the  great,  as 
our  Apostle  saw  them  at  the  awful  judgment!  See 
the  peculiar  beauties  of  infantile  charms  giving  va- 
riety to  heaven,  as  they  expand  forever  in  an  infan- 
tile state!  See  the  mild  graces  of  the  softer  forms, 
as  they  blush  in  all  the  charms  of  their  character- 
istic softness!  See  the  simple  dignity  of  more  ma- 
jestic beings!  See  all  the  varied  beauties  of  this 
world  of  variety,  sublimed  but  not  altered,  increas- 
ed not  destroyed! — Then  remember  the  condition 
of  this  glorious  company.  Sickness  shall  no  more 
blast  the  roses  of  their  cheeks;  tears  shall  no 
more  quench  the  lustre  of  their  eyes;  no  aching 
head,  no  brow  of  care,  no  heart  corroded  withanxi- 
ties  and  griefs,  shall  ever— ever  damp,  no,  not  for  a 
single  moment,  the  joy  of  that  assembly.  Passions 
they  shall  still  have;  but  they  are  passions  regula- 
ted by  eternal  law;  they  are  the  springs  of  activity, 
the  sources  of  felicity:  not  those  maddening  and 
bewildering  impulses  that  infract  the  order  of  the 
fair  creation,  and  make  havoc  of  our  peace.  Appe- 
tites they  shall  still  have;  but  they  are  appetites  ^ited 
to  that  eternal  state:  and  what  Almighty  power  has 
formed  their  hearts  to  crave;  infinite  goodness  will 


tieaven.  ^f 

abundantly  supply.  No  want  shall  pincli,  no  thirst 
shall  parch,  no  evil  of  any  kind  shall  any  more  af- 
flict them;  for  there  shall  be  no  more  pain. 

2.  And  if  each  one  shall  be  bappy  considered 
by  themselves,  they  shall  be  equally  freed  from  all 
the  ills  tbat  arise  from  social  feelings  and  relations. 
The  friendships  of  Eternity  shall  be  only  with  tbe 
righteous;  with  righteousness  alone  shall  they  ever 
come  in  contact;  for  righteousness  only  will  the 
Wart  feel  any  interest.  Tbere,  then,  friendship 
does  not  bend,  solicitous  and  self- wounded,  over 
the  pangs  of  others  whom  its  efforts  cannot  save. 
There  no  heart  trembles  with  anxiety  for  the  guile- 
less,  while  in  danger  of  becoming  a  prey  to  the 
arts  of  the  designing.  For  all  whom  we  love  arc 
assembled  before  that  throne.  All  friendships  arc 
centered  in  one  blessed  company.  All  are  freed 
alike  from  all  those  calamities  that  wound  the  heart 
of  friendship  througb  the  persons  whose  happiness 
is  dear  to  us  as  our  own.  The  social  tye  augments 
the  felicities  of  heaven;  for  holiness  is  doubly  bles- 
sed: blessed  in  the  portion  allotted  to  itself,  and 
blessed  a  thousand  fold  in  all  the  thousand  por- 
tions of  all  who  are  united  by  the  common  tyc* 
And  while  the  heart  remains  forever  a  stranger  to 
those  pangs  which  friendship  shares  in  common 
witli  the  sufferer;  the  prostration  of  our  rights,  the 
abuse  of  our  confidence,  the  innumerable  miseries 
of  violated  order,  shall  disturb  the  breast  no  more* 
•No  longer  shall  the  weak  mourn  the  oppressions 


f^  tteaveil. 

of  the  mighty,  nor  the  guileless  spirit  the  triumphs^ 
of  the  cunning:  no  more  shall  honest  indignation 
flash  at  baseness,  nor  the  plea  of  innocence  be  lost 
amid  the  clamour  of  the  violent.  For  there,  amid 
all  that  blessed  company,  there  stands  not  one  be- 
ing in  whose  heart  is  written  other  law  than  the 
law  of  guileless  love.  Nor  is  there  an  aim  in  all 
that  mighty  host  that  would  not  be  lifted,  swift  as 
heaven's  own  lightning,  to  assert  the  cause  of  the 
Oppressed.  Nor  is  there  a  countenance  irradiated 
with  heaven's  own  playful  light  and  love  that 
would  not  dart  a  withering  look  upon  the  base  de- 
ceiver. 

3.  Finally:  All  that  is  within,  as  well  as  every 
thing  around,  shall  be  so  regulated  as  to  banish  th6 
approach  of  sorrow.  To-day  the  Jewish  Psalmist 
tunes  his  harp  to  other  lay  than  that  which  once 
recorded  ^*the  sorrows  of  the  mind."  Amid  that 
bright  assemblage  his  tongue  no  more  frames  sounds 
for  the  expression  of  his  woe:  an  heart  once  deceit- 
ful and  desperately  wicked  is  now  true  to  the  ser- 
ticp  of  Almiglit^'  God:  amid  the  beauties  of  his  par- 
adise no  wandering  passion  rises:  before  the  splen- 
dors of  his  throne  no  worshiper  complains  o:^ 
thoughts  still  roving  after  every  vanity.  And  no 
temptation  assails  them  from  without.  You  who  now 
must  stand  within  the  gap,  and  resist  the  passions 
and  the  selfish  ends  of  men;  you  who  must  put  up 
with  ten  thousand  imputations,  because  your  meas- 
tires  change  not  with  the  wishes  or  tlie  interests  of 


Ifeaven,  ^9 

the  changelings  all  around  you;  yon  whose  heart 
piust  be  excruciated  with  ten  thousand  pangs  by  the 
unfounded  aspersions  or  illiberal  surmises  of  those 
whom  you  cannot  please;  you  who  are  tempted  to 
forsake  your  duty,  to  part  with  your  integrity^  rath- 
er than  adhere  to  the  thankless  office  of  doing  your 
duty  where  pride  and  passion  will  not  appreciate 
your  motives  or  your  measures;  yet  still  persevere, 

^^Unshaken,  unseduced,  unterrified.'' 
For  no  sooner  shall  that  sentence  issue  from  you 
throne,  ^^servant  of  God  well  done/'  th^n  you  will 
be  united  with  a  company  whose  feelings  and  prin- 
ciples are  truly  and  fully  of  that  exalted  kind  to 
which  the  circles  of  the  present  world  advance  such 
shallow,  and  often,  very  often,  such  glaringly  falise 
and  ridiculous  pretensions.  In  heaven  true  iui^t^g- 
rity  is  sterling  honour.  There  every  spirit  is  th© 
spirit  of  an  Abdiel;  and  no  untoward  circumstances^ 
no  pitiful  interests,  form  an  inducement  to  desert 
your  duty;  nor  does  the  social  feeliag  prove  the  so- 
cial curse. 

It  is  that  state  ordained  of  God,  all -wise  and 
mighty,  to  display  before  creation  the  riches  of  his 
goodness;  to  shew  in  his  own  heavens  how  he  cau 
dignify  and  bless;  as  he  manifests  in  Topbet  th© 
perdition  of  his  curse.  There  then  is  safety,  ther# 
is  true  felicity,  when  the  G.  d  of  grandeur  rises  to 
become  himself  the  consoler  of  his  servants;  wlmu 
he  employs  his  own  hand,  with  all  a  father%  ten- 
derness; to  wipe  away  their  tearsf  and  when  not  qn$ 


$W  Heaven. 

wave  of  sorrow  shall  roll  across  the  breast,  thencti^ 
forward  and  forever. 

II.  But  the  absence  of  grief  is  at  most  a  partial 
Bappiness.  We  are  endowed  with  many  principles 
of  the  most  active  kind;  and  in  the  employment  of 
the  active  powers  bestowed  upon  us  the  greater 
portion  of  positive  happiness  consists.  The  glory 
©four  nature  is  the  enlightened  understanding  and 
the  feeling  heart. 

We  need  hardly  say  that  both  these  sources  of 
honour  and  felicity  will  be  occupied  to  the  best  ad- 
Tantage. 

1.  All  the  disadvantages  of  ignorance  shall  at 
once  be  done  away.  It  is  well  worthy  our  remem* 
brance  that  when  our  first  father  was  created  he 
possesed  a  knowledge  of  this  creation  more  inti« 
mate  and  extended  than  any  of  his  descendents 
have  probably  ever  attained  to.  It  is  a  notorious 
fact  that  the  nations  of  the  East  possess  portions  of 
science  which  are  indubitably  but  the  wreck  of  far 
more  perfect  systems  that  must  have  been  common 
before  the  dcl^jge;  and  the  bible  student,  remem- 
bering what  is  written  of  our  iirst  father's  knowl- 
edge, will  hardly  hesitate  in  referring  the  beginnings 
of  science,  even  in  its  perfect  form,  to  the  beginning 
cf  the  world.  It  is  a  fact,  also,  well  worthy  ofre- 
mcirk,  that  when  Moses  and  Klijah  appeared  with 
the  Baviour  on  tife  mount  of  (ransiigurHtion.  the 
disciples  who  were  present  knew   them  at   once. 


Heaven.  §1 

For  any  of  these  facts  we  do  not  pretend  to  account. 
But  it  would  appear  from  them  to  be  contrary  to 
all  good  reasoning  to  ascribe  to  beings  of  the  oth- 
er world  the  same  slow  process  in  acquiring  knowl- 
edge which  appears  to  be  laid  upon  the  human 
race  as  in  part  the  penalty  of  sin.  Learning  is 
with  us  both  labour  and  sorrow.  But  in  heaveu 
there  shall  be  neither.  And  who  can  tell  the  ex-^ 
pansion  of  human  intellect  when  the  Grod  of  im- 
mensity lays  open  all  his  riches,  that  they  may  ad- 
mire and  wonder  and  adore!  These  worlds  above 
us  and  these  worlds  around  us,  all  that  displays 
the  magnificence  of  God,  will  furnish  sources  of 
ever  new  delight.  And  who  can  tell  the  yet  un- 
thought  of  forms  of  being,  who  can  tell  the  varieties 
of  creation,  that  shall  be  bursting  through  eternity 
on  the  admiring  eye!  And  when  all  that  we  have 
known,  and  all  that  we  can  think  of,  is  perfectly 
exhausted;  who  can  find  thoughts  to  mount  tp 
those  new  objects  ^^which  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor 
ear  heard,  neither  hath  it  entered  into  the  heart  of 
man  to  conceive;  bat  which  God  has  nevertheless 
prepared  for  those  that  love  him!''  And  Jesus 
Christ  himself  shall  be  the  ready  interpreter  of  all 
heaven's  bursting  wonders;  Jesus  Christ  shall  feed 
them;  Jesus  Christ  shall  lead  them  by  fountains  of 
living  waters;  human  intellect  shall  mount  up  to- 
w^ard  the  understanding  that  is  infinite  under  the 
forming  hand  of  that  great  and  good  instructor;  and 
all  eyes  shall  be  intent;  and  all  minds  upon  the 

li 


B^  Heaven. 

stretch,  to  catch  the  lessons  of  wisdom  as  they  fall 
from  such  lips  of  kiiul  and  condescending  love. 

2.  But,  after  all,  the  heart  is  the  great  source  of 
feli(ity;  and  in  vain  should  we  exercise  an  arch- 
angel's intellect,  in  vain  should  we  scan  with  eyes 
like  the  omniscient  the  great  creation  through;  un- 
less the  heart  were  interested,  it  would  be  a  cold 
and  barren  scene.  Eut  the  God  of  this  creation  is 
the  (rod  of  love;  and  the  law  that  rules  in  the 
lie>rts  of  that  bright  company  is  the  law  of  tender 
and  eternal  love. 

But  we  attempt  not  to  portray  an  exercise  of 
tenderness  so  far  above  our  powers.  You  have 
seon  the  variety  that  shall  beautify  and  bless  the 
he?  enly  world.  You  have  often  seen  the  infant 
pf  few  and  tender  years,  perhaps  of  months  or 
weeks,  returned  to  its  parent  earth.  And  often  has 
the  world  wondered  what  can  be  the  designs  of  all- 
wise  providence  in  bringing  into  life  so  many 
young  immortals  only  just  to  look  around  them  and 
then  close  their  eyes  in  death.  Let  our  i\postle 
tell  you.  On  the  day  of  the  great  judgment  he  saw 
them  every  one;  and  he  saw  tjiem  infants  still.  In 
heaven  these  little  cherubs  shall  bud  and  blossom 
forever:  an*?  they  who  have  a  fondness  for  infantile 
beauty  and  infantile  excellence  can  best  appreciate 
tlu^  variety  of  tender  feeling  to  which  such  an  ar- 
rangement will  give  birth  in  that  glad  scene. 

Y  )u  have  hearrj  of  the  many  wortliies  that  hav© 
,^one  before  ^ouj  people  of  one  heart;  though  of  eve- 


Heaven.  B.S 

ry  age  and  nation.  Know,  then,  that  no  small  por- 
tion of  the  felicity  of  heaven  will  be  found  in  jour 
intercourse  with  these  "excellent  of  the  ea^th.'' 
Even  here  a  large  propoition  of  our  happiness 
consists  in  the  kindred  movements  of  kindred 
hearts,  when  purity  and  intelligence  and  love  unite 
to  dignify  and  bless  the  social  circle.  But  ''in  that 
bright  world  above"  you  find  larger  scope  for  eve- 
ry high  wrought  feeling.  There  intellect  shines 
with  unclouded  brightn:  ss;  purity  is  unsullied;  ev- 
ery heart  is  tender  as  an  infants;  every  fee  ng  ar- 
dent as  a  seraphs:  and  where  all  dwell  together  in 
their  common  Father's  presence,  free  from  danger 
and  far  removed  from  want,  there  is  nothing  to  al- 
lay, nothing  to  suspend  the  blessings  of  high  heav- 
en's friendships,  as  we  feel  and  mourn  on  earth. 
The  height  to  v/hich  attachments  may  be  there  ex- 
alted, the  ever  spiagingjoys  of  ever  growing  friend- 
ships, God,  the  omniscient,  only  can  define. 

Come  assemble  before  you  in  groups  the  wor- 
thies of  all  ages.  In  heaven  there  is  room  for  many 
bands  to  wander;  you  may  attach  yourself  to  them, 
one  by  one,  without  danger  of  interruption,  before 
they  have  severally  unfolded  all  their  history. 
Eternity  is  long  enough  to  admit  of  many  a  moment 
vspent  in  tracing  the  varied  annals  of  every  dweller 
there.  Walk  hand  in  hand  with  patriarchs  and 
|>rophets:  hear  how  Eternal  wisdom  shaped  th^ir 
course,  and  how  patience  and  goodness  sus^ii?  ed 
(heir  feeble  steps,  and  conducted  them  at  length  in 


84  Ueaven^ 

safety  and  peace  to  the  happy  scene  amid  whicU 
tiiey  unfold  their  story.  Come  walk  with  Saul  of 
Tarsus  in  some  retired  spot.  Hear  him  relate  the 
vision  of  Damascus^  and  tell  of  all  the  workings  of 
a  sinful  heart,  of  all  the  variant  feelings  of  an 
lieart  renewed,  while  he  sat  solitary  and  confound- 
ed, a  poor  blind  man,  weeping  and  praying  in  the 
house  of  Judas.  Bid  ^^brother  SauP^  unfold  to 
you  the  workings  of  his  mind  in  many  of  those 
scenes  in  which  liistory  has  portrayed  him  the  great, 
the  good,  the  gallant-spirited  Apostle.  Recount 
to  him  the  emotions  that  often  thrilled  your  breast, 
when  bending  over  the  pages  of  his  eventful  story„ 
And  mark  the  radian!  joy  that  sparkles  in  his  eye, 
when  stretching  out  his  hand  toward  many  wan- 
dering companies,  he  tells  you  of  the  time,  the 
place,  the  circumstances,  where  ^^this  man  and  that 
man''  heard  for  life  eternal  the  message  that  he 
brought  them,  and  in  the  full  flow  of  feeling  hailed 
bim  and  loved  him  "as  an  angel  of  God.''* 

Sit  down  in  some  lone  corner  with  that  once  hap- 
less malefactor  who  lifted  his  dying  eyes  to  his 
fellow-sufferer  on  the  cross,  and  sought  and  obtain- 
ed, at  that  late  hour,  an  entrance  into  the  joy  and 
glory  of  that  world.  Hear  the  story  of  his  lifet 
jhear  from  his  own  lips  the  first  thought  that  smote 
Ins  conscience,  when  the  dying  miscreant  was  rail- 
ing at  that  meek  sufijerer  who  hung  expiring  by  his 
,^ide^ 

•tear 

Gdat,  ivo  ii. 


Heaven  SB 

in  this  way  you  may  gather  from  ten  tliousand 
sources,  througb  ten  thousand  rolling  ages,  new 
cause  to  admire  the  wisdom  of  eternal  providence^ 
uew  ground  to  admire  the  riches  of  eternal  mercy, 
new  inducements  to  raise  high  the  voice  of  joy  and 
thanksgiving  to  him  who  saved  you  all  in  his  eter- 
nal righteousness. 

But  why  should  we  restrict  you  to  the  bible  his- 
tory! Let  your  thoughts  encircle  the  vast  host  of 
the  redeemed.  Let  aged  Polycarp,  now  no  mor» 
a  cripple,  the  loved  disciple  of  the  loved  Apostle- 
let  Polycarp,  let  Cyprian,  let  Augustine,  letChry- 
sostem,  let  ten  thousand  kindred  spirits  more  than 
we  can  name,  bless  you  and  honour  you  with  theic 
friendship  and  fellowship.  Extend  your  acquain- 
tance among  all  ranks  of  men.  Bend  with  the  once 
purpled  CsBsars  when  they  bend — with  Theodo- 
sians  and  Gratians,  when  they  bend  before  that 
throne:  and  multiply  your  blessings  by  forming 
strict  alliance  with  all  the  great  and  good,  with  all 
the  pure  and  simple-hearted,  the  saved  of  ages  that 
time  yet  holds  in  reserve. 

But  we  said  we  would  not  paint, — and  we  dare 
not  attempt  to  paint — the  variety  of  blessedness 
that  must  flow  from  such  high  intercourse.  Were 
we  even  to  confine  our  delineatiim  to  this  small  au- 
dience, were  we  to  portray  how  you  who  are  friends 
and  associates  here  must  act  and  feel,  when  you 
move  on  together  in  that  eternal  round  of  wonders 
nu(\  of  joys^,  we  feel  that  we  should  fall  unspeaka^ 


$6  Mea^eiu 

My  short  of  our  own  conceptions:  and  liow  pool* 
liiust  be  the  conceptions  of  a  man  of  earth,  hoW 
ai€agre,  dim  and  partial,  compared  with  the  reality! 
But  though  now  tenants  of  this  earth,  you  have 
capacities  fitted  for  other  intercourse  than  that  which 
you  may  be  supposed  to  maintain  with  kindred 
hcings.  The  intelligences  of  heaven,  elevated 
though  they  be,  wise,  mighty,  glorious,  though  they 
he,  are  social  spirits  too.  Of  their  intelligence, 
tenderness,  and  fellow-feeling,  we  have  broad  and 
clear  assurance.  They  too— your  elder  brethren, 
whose  large  experience  and  extended  spheres  of 
service  have  made  them  well  acquainted  with  the 
Almighty^s  works  and  ways — they  too  will  contri- 
bute mightily  to  exalt  the  happiness  of  heaven;  for 
mingling  with  every  circle  they  will  have  much  to 
tell  that  no  pen  has  ever  recorded,  and  much  toun- 
foi  1  that  no  heart  has  ever  imagined.  And  many 
m.iy  be  the  hour  in  which  mighty  cherubim,  releas- 
Gfl  from  higher  calls,  will  single  out  some  spirit, 
the  saved  of  Messiah's  grace,  and  hold  with  it  such 
communion  about  God  and  all  his  ways,  about  kin- 
dred angels  and  all  their  history,  or  about  the 
mighty  sum  of  the  creator's  works,  as  shall  bring 
large  tribute  of  light  to  the  mind  and  of  pleasure  to 
the  heart  of  tire  attentive  and  apt  learner. 
^ '  But  why  should  we  spend  time  with  these  feeble 
recollections  of  the  feebler  abettors  of  God's 
g:(:  It  ih^sign!  Though  all  that  we  have  said, 
and  ten  Uuies  more,  be  true,  yet  all  creature  at- 


Heaven.  B^ 

^.acliments,  all  human  friendships,  all  angelic  ^el« 
iovvship,  seems  a  little  thing  when  contrasted 
with  the  higher,  more  steady  and  most  appro- 
priate source  of  happiness.  That  bright  and  bliss- 
ful company  are  not  restricted  in  their  intercom-se 
even  to  the  noblest  order  of  created  intelligences; 
^•for  the  Lamb,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne, 
himself  shall  feed  them  and  shall  lead  them  unto 
living  fountains  of  waters;  and  God  shall  wipe 
away  all  tears  from  their  eyes.''  The  Saviour 
shall  conduct  toward  them  as  a  familiar  friend;  th^ 
God  of  grandeur  shall  treat  them  as  his  children., 
How^  should  we  paint  such  intercourse! 

You  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ: 
how  kind  and  affectionate  among  his  own  disciples; 
how  tender  and  compassionate  to  all  who  sought 
Ids  favor.  Such  as  he  was  on  earth,  is  iho,  Saviour 
now  in  heaven.  Exalted,  though  he  be  above  all 
principality  and  power,  he  is  not  exalted  above  the 
freest  converse  with  the  least  of  those  w  ho  love  him. 
Though  his  rightful  place  be  on  the  father's  throne^ 
jGi  does  he  descend  to  w  alk  and  to  talk  with  the  peo- 
ple of  his  care  through  that  paradise  of  God;  and  t© 
lead  them,  sa^s  my  text,  by  the  fountains  of  liv* 
ing  waters.  If  there  be  dignity  in  friendship,  theu 
who  so  exalted  as  the  familiar  friends  of  that  Al- 
mighty Saviour!  If  there  be  blessedness  in  love^ 
tliPti  who  so  happy  as  they  who  shall  be  sharers  ill 
Jus  sin  changeable  regard! 

And  God  himself  is  the  light  and  the  glory  of  hi^ 


S8  Heaven  I 

Heavens.  Grod  so  stupendous,  so  exalted,  so  glo.^. 
rious,  shall  be  no  more  concealed  from  yiew. 
Bright  as  is  his  image,  the  forms  of  the  resurrection 
in  ay  behold  it  without  fainting;  stupendous  as  is  his 
being,  their  faculties  may  grasp  it,  nor  feel  diiRcul- 
ty  or  pain.  But  we  may  not,  we  cannot  attempt  a 
view  (»f  God  from  which  the  pen  of  inspiration  has 
shrunk  back.  We  know  that  in  the  light  of  his 
eternal  glory  the  whole  creation  withers;  and  we 
only  further  know  this,  for  the  word  of  God  has 
said  it,  that  the  dwellers  in  his  heavens  shall 
see  him  as  he  is.  But  what  they  shall  see — what 
Bew  grandeur  ever  bursting,  what  new  beauty  still 
unfolding — what  they  shall  see  in  him  who  is  vast 
as  eternity,  his  own  eternity  must  tell. 

Brethren  it  is  our  theme  for  the  ensuing  Lord^s 
day.  We  hope,  by  God's  good  help,  to  unfold 
to  your  view  the  wondrous  destinies  of  the  eter- 
nal world,  of  this  great  universe  tlu^ough  eternal 
ages,  to  better  purpose  and  in  more  just  propor- 
tions than  we  have  been  able  to  present  the  subject 
of  to-day.  We  beseech  you  to  impute  the  faint 
and  feeble  sketch  we  have  given  of  God's  own 
heavens,  to  the  weak  and  somewhat  disordered 
feelings  of  the  speaker,  and  not  to  the  poorness  of 
that  great  scene  itself.  We  appeal  to  all  creatiorr 
so  magnificent  and  beautiful,  to  all  that  is  tender  in 
Hhc  mercies  of  God,  and  rich  in  the  grace  of  our 
liord  Jesus  Christ',  in  proof  that  there  is  much  to 
elicit  all  your  hope  iu  the  world  we  have  eo  feebly 


HeaveTi.  8p 

and  partially  poitmyed.     We  appeal  to  that  ^*eiK 
ceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory/^  to  the  glory, 
honour  and  immortal  life,  so  often  named  in  scrip- 
ture; and  we  would  make  them  your  defence  against 
any  wrong  impression  caused  by  our  feeble  effort* 

And  now  we  have  only  once  more  to  beseech 
you,  profit  while  you  may,  by  ^^the  hope  set  before 
you.^^  A  few  more  years,  and  the  lamp  of  life  cx-« 
pires;  and  that  eternity,  with  all  its  vastness,  lies  at 
once  before  you.  A  few  more  years,  and  your  own 
eyes  shall  behold  that  blissful  company,  and  your 
own  voice  of  thanksgiving  shall  mingle  Avith  their 
praise:  unless  indeed^  which  may  God  of  his  infi- 
nite mercy  prevent,  you  choose  still  to  neglect  the 
only  way  of  life,  and  be  undone  forever. 

Again  we  would  urg«  upon  you  the  invitation  of 
Jesus  Christ;  ^^how  long,  ye  simple  ones,  will  ye 
love  simplicity,  and  the  scorners  delight  in  their 
scorning,  and  fools  jiate  knowledge.  Tuni  ye  at 
my  reproof:  behold  I  will  pour  out  my  Spirit  unto 
you,  I  will  make  known  my  words  unto  yo?i.''  A» 
gain  we  would  remind  you,  earnestly,  affectionate- 
ly, that  nothing  but  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  can  fit  you  for  the  happiness  of  the  eternal 
state,  and  nothing  but  forgiveness  by  the  blood  of 
his  cross  can  secure  you  a  welcome  tliere,  We 
tender  you  day  by  day  the  water  of  his  baptism;  it 
is  the  symbol  of  his  good  Spidt,  the  sanctifier  of 
sinful  men.  Within  a  few  weeks  more  we 
will    tender    you    again    the    cup    of    the  New 

M 


-9^  '  Heamn, 

Testament  in  his  blood;  it  is  the  symlrol  of 
that  forgiveness  without  which  there  is  no  sal- 
vation. A  little  while,  yet  a  very  little  while,  and 
-we  must  both  give  in  our  account  before  the  throne 
of  God.  I  must  tell  him  that  I  announced  to  you 
Ms  great  salvation  by  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ:  I 
must  tell  him  that  I  adjured  you  by  all  the  horrors 
of  unfathomable  Tophet,  and  by  all  the  glories  of 
his  own  resplendent  heavens,  to  flee  from  the  wrath 
to  come:  I  must  tell  him  that  I  tendered  you  th& 
water  of  his  baptism,  which  seals  the  promise  of 
liis  holy  vSpirit;  and  invited  you  to  take  that  cup  of 
the  New  Testament,  which  his  goodness  has  ap- 
pointed as  the  symbol  of  his  blood:  and  you  are 

THIS    DAY    WITNESSES  THAT  ALL  I    MUST    TELL    IS 
TRUTH. 

And  YOU  TOO  must  there  give  in  your  last 
accojint.  And  you  must  tell  him — what?  God  of 
sal  ation  shall  this  misery  be  theirs!  You  must 
tell  him  that  you  rejected  the  water  of  his  baptism, 
and  put  aside  that  cup  of  the  New  Testament  ia 

his  blood  to  a  more  convenient  season — and 

that  season  never  came!!    Oh  that  you  were 

wise!  that  you  understood  this!  that  you  would  con- 
sider your  latter  end! — Amj^^. 


i5iiam®s?  Tfo 


ETERNITY. 

^^Then  Cometh  the  end,  when  he  shall  have  der'. 
tivered  up  the  Jcingdom  to  God,  even  the  Fa- 
tlier,  when  he  shall  have  put  down  all  rule^ 
and  all  authority  and  power.  For  he  must 
reign  till  he  hath  put  all  enemies  under  hisi 
feet,  Th^  last  enemy  that  shall  be  destroyed 
is  death.  For  he  hath  put  all  things  under 
his  feet.  But  when  he  saith,  All  things  are 
put  under  him,  it  is  manifest  that  he  is  ex- 
cepted which  did  put  all  things  undvr  him^ 
And  when  all  things  shall  he  subdued  unto 
him,  then  shall  the  Son  also  himself  he  subject 
unto  him  that  put  all  things  under  him,  that 
God  may  he  all  in  all.^^—i  Cor.  xv,  24i — S8. 

IT  is  not,  my  dear  brethren,  among  the  least 
^iiiiperative  grounds  of  our  thankfulness  that  God 
has  made  us  better  than  the  beasts  of  the  field,  and 
>vJser  than  the  fowls  of  heaven.     Our  rank  as  m^ 


m  Eternity. 

telligent  and  immortal  beings  opens  to  us  innumeK 
ablc  sources  of  delight  of  which  the  inferior  crea- 
tion can  form  no  conception.  They  only  know  va- 
riety of  blessedness  as  it  presses  through  the  sense^ 
and  tlrey  know  it  no  further  than  it  is  brought  di- 
rectly home.  We  can  scan  creation  from  afar;  we 
€an  take  pleasure  in  surveying,  compai*ing,  con- 
trasting,  muilitudes  of  objects,  facts>  and  even  ab- 
stract truths,  which  are  never  to  have  any  immedi- 
ate bearing  oil  ourselves;  aiid  we  feel  that  in  ex- 
tending our  acquaintance  with  creation^  we  are  pro- 
viding for  ourselves  no  short-lived  happiness:  for 
we  are  beginning  to  see  objects  that  we  shall  eter- 
nally  survey,  we  are  forming  habits  and  attach- 
ments that  shall  never  terminate,  and  we  take  an 
interest  in  every  thing  connected  with  tliis  great 
universe,  becatise  in  this  universe  we  are  to  have 
an  everlasting  home. 

The  Bible  meets  completely  these  strong  princi- 
ples of  our  nature,  and  gives  us  the  means  of  turn- 
ing  them  to  the  very  best  account.  The  Father  of 
Eternity  does  not  sit  upon  his  thmne,  dark,  sullen, 
and.retired.  He  does  not  use  the  right  which  sov- 
reignty  might  claim,  of  managing  creation  and 
moulding  all  its  destinies,  without  giving  account  to 
any  one  of  any  of  his  matters.  He  does  not  leave  be- 
;irigs  so  much  interested  in  futurity,  to  await  the  slow 
jyrocess  of  revolving  providence  in  order  to  relieve 
themselves  from  the  pressure  of  that  suspense, 
which  as  intelligent  and  immortal  beings  they  must 


oiliervvise  endure.  With  a  ready,  a  tender  and  a 
delicate  attention  to  those  feelings  which  he  himself 
has  rendered  so  snsceptihle,  he  meets  onr  strong 
and  natural  wishes  on  this,  as  on  every  other  point. 
He  talks  to  us  as  to  his  children,  of  his  plans  for 
future  times;  he  persuades,  he  animates  us  by  submit., 
ting  the  strongest  motives  to  love  and  trust  and  serve 
him;  and  when  our  little  hearts  begin  to  labor  and 
heave  under  the  calamities  that  press  us,  he  points 
t)ut  to  us  with  tenderness  the  reasons  of  our  sorrow^, 
and  cheers  us  with  the  promise  of  better  times  t9 
come. 

Children  of  Providence,  we  hail  you  this  morn- 
ing as  the  partakers  of  such  care.  We  congratulate 
7/Gu  as  persons  whom  the  great  God  himself  is  dis- 
posed to  treat  as  beings  both  rational  and  im mor- 
tal. And  we  would  call  upon  our  own  heart,  and 
all  that  is  within  us  to  bless  and  honour  him,  who 
lias  not  only  assigned  us  a  rank  of  so  much  conse- 
quence among  the  varieties  of  universal  being,  but 
has  provided  such  a  feast  both  for  the  intellect  and 
hearty  in  unfolding  to  us  tlie  destinies  of  our  ever- 
lasting home. 

Your  attention  has  already  accompanied  me  dow^ft 
id  the  abodes  of  everlasting  death;  and  you  have 
listened  willingly  to  the  sounds  of  joy  and  gladness 
which  proceed  from  tha.t  blessed  company  thatsur- 
I'ounds  the  throne  of  God.  Th^rc  you  sat  upon  the 
threshold  of  eternity,  and  heard  and  saw  what  you. 
mM  shortly  be.    But  tliiuk  not,  my  brethren;  ilmi 


B4  ^Bfertiitp 

ttie  very  imperfect  sketches  heretofore  furnished  yoii 
contained  all  that  the  scriptures  tell  us  of  the  e- 
fernal  state.  Yoii  sat  btit  on  the  threshold  of  that 
magnificent  structure,  which  God  is  erecting  to  de- 
c^lare  his  glory.  Eternity,  say  the  scriptures,  is, 
the  dwelling  place  of  God;  and,  well  as  we  are  able^ 
we  would  lead  you  through  that  temple.  We 
would  trace  the  workings  of  the  Eternal  mind,  we 
would  sketch  the  evolution  of  the  Eternal's  plans, 
after  he  shall  have  barred  the  infernal  doors  of  To- 
phet,  and  received  through  Heaven's  own  gates 
^^on  golden  hinges  turni  ig"  the  immortal  hosts  that 
are  to  dwell  forever  there. 

It  is  to  the  transactions  of  that  eternal  state  oili* 
apostle  adverts  in  the  passage  before  us.  The  Son 
of  God  having  assumed  tlie  mediatorial  character 
for  the  purpose  ^f  restoring  this  world  to  God's  do-. 
Minion,  and  having  to  that  end  accepted,  as  media- 
tor, the  Immediate  dominion  over  all  the  earth,  and 
all  the  angelic  world,  and  over  every  thing  that 
could  in  any  way  promote  the  great  design,  shall 
fully  accomplish  the  object  he  undertook:  he  shall 
^^subdue  all  things  to  himself."  And  that  object 
once  accomplished,  he  lays  aside  his  office;  he  is 
no  more  a  mediator,  no  more  "the  king  of  saints.'^ 
The  government  again  reverts  to  its  old  and  natu- 
ral channel.  Jehovah  reigns  on  earth,  Jehovah 
reigns  in  heaven,  a$  if  man  had  never  sinned;  and 
Jesus  our  Saviour  shares  in  common  with  his  breth- 
ren in  all  the  bliss  of  that  established  order.    This 


Eferniip  '^^^- 

■is  the  amount  of  our  Apostle's  suggestion.  Two 
subjects,  therefore,  demand  consideration  in  con- 
nexion with  this  idea, 

I.  The  completion  of  the  Savioui^s  3indevtaking» 
He  shall  '^subdue  all  things  to  himself.'' 

II.  The  destinies  of  man  and  of  all  with  whomi 
he  stands  connected,  after  his  salvation  shall  have 
been  perfectly  achieved.  The  Saviour  will  then 
deliver  up  the  kingdom  to  his  Father;  and  ^^God 
will  be  all  in  all/' 

I.  The  Saviour  will  not  fail  to  complete  his  great 
object:  ^'he  must  reign  till  he  hath  put  all  ene- 
mies under  his  feet.''  The  idea  that  the  Saviour 
now  holds  a  dominion  which  is  not  originally  and 
essentially  his  right;  and  that  he  will  hereafter  b© 
divested  of  that  dominion,  and  become  subject  like 
ourselves  to  the  government  of  God,  is  probably 
new  to  many  of  you.  And  yet  it  is  impossible  to 
get  along  with  almost  any  large  portion  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures  without  taking  this  idea  into  the  account. 
In  OJd  Testament  prophecy,  you  often  meet  with  in- 
tiiuations  of  the  power  and  authority  God  would 
thereafter  impart  to  the  Saviour,  In  the  New 
Testament  scriptures  you  must  have  often  remark- 
ed the  Saviour's  own  acknowledgments  of  the 
source  whence  he  received  his  authority.  And  very 
often  you  meet  with  assurances  by  the  Apostles,  in 
their  letters  to  the  churches,  that  tliis  dominion  i^ 
asslpi^d  him,  both  s^s  tha  reward  ojt'  ids  fidejity  mi 


96  ilternity. 

as  the  mean  of  accomplisliing  his  great  underta- 
king. These  intimations  would  at  first  sight  appear 
to  run  counter  to  tlie  doctrines  of  the  Saviour's  pro- 
per deity,  and  of  his  rightful  and  universal  govern- 
ment, considered  as  Creator  and  Lord  of  all.  A.ud 
indeed,  it  is  on  such  intimations  as  these  that  A.ri- 
rians  and  Socinians  ground  all  their  plausible  ar- 
guments against  the  diVinity  of  the  Saviour, 

But  this  difficulty  vanishes   at  once,  when  it  is 
considered  that  the  whole  arrangement  under  con- 
sideration is  quite  a  limited  and  incidental  thing. 
The  assumption  of  our  nature  by  the  Son  of  God 
was  a  matter  of  choice,  not  of  necessity;  and  the 
work  he  accomplishes,  and  the  office  he  sustains,  as 
the  wearer  of  our  nature,  are  clearly  distinct  from 
every  thing  that  belongs  to  him  in  his  essential  cha- 
racter.    It  is  to  be  recollected  that  as  i\\^  wearer  of 
our  nature,  he  sustains  the  character  and  relations 
of  '^i\\Q  second  Adam;''  that  is,  of  a  second  federa- 
tive head  to  this  fallen  world  of  ours.     Now,  most 
unquestionably,  the  being  who  occupies  the  place 
which  Adam  once  tilled,  the  being  who  is  recogni- 
zed  in  the  same  official  character,  must,  in  so  far  as 
his  office  is  concerned,  sustain  the  same  relations  of 
subjection  and  dependance  that  Adam  himself  sus- 
tained.    It  is  a  matter  of  no  SQrt  of  consequence 
'what  may  be  the  dilTerence  in  their  personal  charac- 
ter and  attributes:    their  official  standing    is    the 
same;  their  relatirms  to  the  Creator  whose  vrorhl 
Ihev  head,  are  therefore  the  very  same;  and  \\  hat- 


Eternity.  gg^^ 

ever  inferiority,  in  an  official  point  of  view,  might 
be  asciibfid  to  Adam,  the  very  same  must  be  ascrir 
bed  to  any  other  being  who  takes  the  place  of  A- 
dam. 

Now  who  does  not  know  that  the  relative  standing 
of  any  being,  considered  as  a  member,  or  if  you 
please  as  the  head,  of  any  association  or  combina- 
tion of  beings,  has  nothing  at  all  to  do  with  the  in- 
dividual standing  and  character  of  that  being  con- 
sidered simply  in  himself;  except  only  in  so  far  as 
the  qualifications  he  possesses  in  the  latter  point  of 
view  may  render  him  capable  of  sustaining  the  re- 
lations common  to  the  members  of  any  such  associ- 
ation or  federative  system  of  human  beings.  Thus^ 
among  ourselves,  it  is  indispensable  to  all  the  mem- 
bers of  any  civil  or  social  institution,  that  they  be 
human  beings  possessing  "vi  true  body  and  a  rea- 
sonable soul/^  But  tbe  possession  of  these  does 
not  constitute  a  member,  much  less  does  it  consti- 
tute an  officer,  of  any  society  whatever.  It  adarts 
them  to  sustain  the  relations  in  question;  but  these 
relations  are  not  created  by  it.  Thus  too  the  grade 
of  personal  qualifications  has  nothing  to  do  with 
the  questions  of  inferiority  or  superiority  in  the  of- 
ficial relations  of  any  such  association.  The  infe- 
rior man  may  be  much  the  higher  officer;  and  he 
whose  authority,  as  the  governor  of  the  state,  gives 
birth  to  any  society  among  his  subjects,  may  him- 
self take  a  station  in  the  society  he  had  ordained  a- 
mong  the  lowliest  of  the  lowly^  and  bend  a^  a  mem; 

N 


§B  Eternity. 

ber  to  the  exercise  of  that  power^  wliicli  in  anotliei* 
character  he  had  himself  imparted. 

It  forms  no  objection,  then,  to  the  divinity  of  the 
Saviour,  that  as  the  head  of  this  world  he  is  subject 
to  his  Father,  accountable  to  his  Father,  and  re- 
ceives from  his  Father  all  authority  and  power. 
His  divinity  is  essential  to  a  successful  execution 
of  the  mediatorial  office.  But  if  that  office  must  be 
sustained  by  a  ^^second  Adam,''  by  a  person  sus- 
taining the  character  of  God's  creature,  as  the  first 
Adam  sustained  it,  his  divinity,  his  qualifications 
of  any  kind,  impart  no  rights,  create  no  distinctions^ 
an  an  official  point  of  view,  between  him  and  any  o- 
ther  who  as  a  federative  head  might  stand  in  the 
«ame  relation  which  Messiah  now  sustains  to  Grod 
and  to  mankind. 

Let  it  also  be  considered  that  the  very  person  of 
the  Saviour,  considered  as  the  God-man,  is  a  new 
thing  in  the  universe.  His  assumption  of  humani- 
ty 'vas  no  less  essential  than  his  possession  of 
divinity,  to  the  accomplishment  of  his  under- 
taking. Eut  his  humanity  did  not  entitle  him^ 
any  more  than  our  humanity  entitles  us,  to 
this  wide  dominion.  But  in  connexion  with 
his  divinity  it  fitted  him  to  sustain  the  re- 
lations an '5  exercise  the  powers  of  a  federative 
head.  And  thus  fitted  for  his  new  office,  it  involve* 
no  disparagi  men4;  of  his  essential  character  to  say 
Ihat  he  received  a  delegated  power.  It  argues  no-r 
thing  against  the  divinity  of  the  Son  of  God,  that 
this  world  was  partitioned  ojff  to  him;  considered 


Etermttf.  9^ 

-as  the  God-man,  and  erected  into  a  government 
perfectly  distinct  from  the  general  government  of 
God,  like  a  little  province  or  some  small  society 
within  the  bosom  of  some  mighty  empire.  And  it 
concludes  nothing  against  his  claims  as  universal 
Lord,  that  sustaining  through  eternity  the  relation 
of  second  Adam,  retaining  his  headship  over  th& 
hosts  of  the  redeemed,  he  should  nevertheless  re- 
sign the  limited  dominion  he  had  held  for  special 
purposes  over  this  part  of  the  creation,  and  owa 
subjection,  in  common  with  all  his  brethren,  to  the 
government  of  God. 

Yet  it  is  by  merging  these  distinctions  which 
have  a  broad  foundation  in  the  nature  of  things, 
and  by  resorting  to  the  most  wretched  and  palpa- 
ble quibbles,  that  unhappy  mortals  attempt  to  make, 
good  their  ground,  when  they  would  assail  the  alt^ 
sufficiency  of  God  our  Saviour,  cut  off  at  one  blow 
all  hope  of  pardon  from  his  vicarious  sufferings^ 
and  leave  us  to  struggle,  unaided  and  uncomforted^ 
against  all  the  might  of  our  polluted  passions. 

But  it  ^^as  to  break  the  shackles  of  our  guilt,  i^ 
was  to  provide  for  us  a  regenerating  influence,  that 
the  Saviour  undertook  his  mediatorial  work.  How 
he  has  accomplished  it  in  the  salvation  of  the  myriads 
who  on  the  day  of  last  accounts  shall  be  enthroned 
on  his  right  hand:  how,  "having  spoiled  principal- 
ities and  powers,  he  made  a  shew  of  them  openly^ 
triumphing  over  them  in  his  cross/'- ^  you  have  of- 

^'  Colos.  ii.  Id. 


iOO  JEternity, 

ten  heard,  and  we  need  not  now  repeat.  But  it  ir 
proper  you  should  know  that  the  eternal  salvation 
of  so  many  once  unhappy,  constitutes  but  a  part  of 
the  Saviour's  undertaking.  Still  you  see  him 
reigning  after  the  general  judgment;  and  our  Apos- 
tle says  he  must  reign  till  every  enemy  shall  have 
been  utterly  subdued:*  our  Apostle  says  he  must 
co'^tinue  still  to  reign,  till  death  itself,  that  last  en- 
emy, is  conquered.! 

You  saw  the  fire  that  issued  from  beneath  the 
throne  of  judgment,  and  flashed  horribly  in  the  fa- 
ces of  the  unhappy  millions  whose  doom  had  been 
pronounced.  You  saw  that  fire  press  forward  on 
their  ranks  till  it  hurried  them  down  the  steep  of 
unfathomable  hell.  And  there,  for  the  time,  your 
observation  of  it  terminated.  But  so  did  not  ter- 
minate the  progress  of  that  flame.  It  kindled  on 
the  world;  it  wrapt  its  whole  circumference  in  one 
desolating  sheet  of  fire;  the  mountains  melted;  the 
surrounding  elements  glowed  with  fervent  heat| 
the  fire  darted  rapidly  toward  the  centre  of  the 
mass;  all  that  was  combustible  v/as  suddenly  light- 
ed up;  magazines  of  destruction  burst  in  every 
quarter;  and  this  great  earth,  thus  torn  in  her  bow- 
els, and  tossing  and  bellowing  amid  that  sheet  of 
flame,  at  lai<t  sunk  down  slu  heap  of  glowing  ashes. 
And  who  would  take  this  bare  mis-shapen  mass 
For  tine  variegated  populous  world  we  once  inhabit- 
ed! There  sunk  at  once  your  monuments  of  greatness! 

^*1  Corinth,  xv.  25,  t  ibid^  26. 


EtPTnity,  101 

The  palace  of  the  mighty  and  the  hovels  of  the 
mean,  all  vour  mounds  and  monuments  disappear- 
ed like  shreds  of  tow!  One  spire  of  flame  stooped 
only  for  a  moment  to  lick  up  like  dust  the  riches  of 
the  Indies!  one  cloud  of  smoke  just  passed  as  a  me. 
men  to  of  the  treasured  spices  of  •  Arahy  the  bless'd;' 
then  none  so  knowing  as  to  tell  the  spot  wher» 
Arabia  once  had  been! 

It  is  not  without  good  reason  that  the  world  we 
inhabit  must  be  rendered  such  a  waste.  When 
the  head  of  our  system  swerved  from  his  allegiance, 
it  was  as  the  severance  of  the  chain  that  bound  our 
globe  to  the  Almighty^s  throne.  The  abode  of  man 
was  in  a  measure  cast  out  of  the  ^reator^l  care;  Sa- 
tan was  permitted  to  usurp  dominion  over  it;  and 
long  has  he  been  known  as  -^the  God  of  this  world*' 
and  '*the  prince  of  the  powers  of  the  air."  Hence 
the  wild  havoc  the  elements  produce;  hence  so  ma- 
ny vestiges  of  the  Almighty^s  vengeance — i\\^ 
wrecks  of  the  great  deluge,  the  bleak  memorials  of 
Sodom's  overthrow,  the  wasted  beauties  of  the  pl-dii 
af  Babylon;  hence  all  those  springs  and  monu- 
ments of  woe  with  which  the  world  is  filled.  They 
belong  to  the  empire  of  havoc  and  anathema;  tliey 
are  signs  of  a  world  cast  out  from  God^s  good  em 
pire!  But  they  must  not  remain  forever  thus.  Ma- 
lice may  dictate,  but  cunning  shall  not  conipass  nor 
force  secure  the  total  subversion  of  a  single  pro- 
vince in  God's  great  creation.  Messiah  was  ap- 
pointed to  raise  the  world  from  the  region  of  curso 


id^  !Eternity. 

and  misery,  and  to  restore  it  again,  purified  from  a'ff 
pollution  and  recovered  from  all  wreck,  to  the  rightful 
government  of  G-od  its  maker.  He  attempted  it,  as 
lias  been  said,  by  becoming  himself  a  second  federa- 
tive head,  and  raising  it  by  his  merit  as  it  had  ar 
foretime  fallen  through  the  demerit  of  another. 
And  now  he  has  redeemed  it,  he  will  melt  it  down* 
It  shall  not  be  degraded  as  it  moves  among  tho 
stars  by  one  vestige  of  its  former  state;  all  monu- 
jBients  of  the  curse  shall  perish  in  that  fire.  And 
as  of  old  the  earth  heaved  up  her  green  fields  to 
the  sun,  when  emerging  from  destruction  by  a 
world  of  waters;  so,  say  the  scriptures,  she  shall 
again  present  herself  among  the  worlds  of  Gred, 
when  Messiah  shall  remould  her  from  the  ashes  of 
the  conflagration.  Again  he  will  rechain  her,  re- 
deemed and  renovated,  to  the  eternal  throne;  her 
elements  shall  no  more  run  into  disorder;  no  more 
^hall  her  verdure  be  blighted  by  the  curse.  Nor 
shall  it  be  a  world  without  inhabitant:  for  ^^we,'' 
'Say  the  scriptures,  ^'^look  for  new  heavens  and  a  new 
earth  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness."*  Right- 
eousness, strictly  taken,  implies  a  species  of  being 
both  intelligent  and  accountable.  And  indeed  it 
would  be  strange,  if  a  world  so  vast  and  so  triumph- 
antly redeemed  should  be  left  to  roll  on  in  her 
course  forever  without  inhabitant,  a  vast  and  gloomy 
solitude.     Who  shall  iuhabit  it  we  pretend  not  to 

^a  I'et   in,  id. 


JStemittfi  403 

•tletermine.  It  may  possibly  be  peopled  witb  a  new 
race  of  being;  or  it  may  remain  forever  a  place  of 
frequent  visitation  by  the  hosts  of  God's  redeemed. 
Those  cherubs  whom  an  Apostle  saw  before  the 
judgment  seat  may  be  the  little  children  who,  as 
prophecy  foretells,  shall  lay  their  hands  on  the  dens 
of  harmless  basilisks:  those  righteous  who  begirt 
the  throne  of  the  Eternal,  may  prove  the  holy  vi- 
sitants come  down  to  view  the  scenes  of  their  sin 
and  their  salvation.  Be  this  as  it  may,  this  globe 
;ihall  be  forever  rescued  from  pollution.  No  si% 
no  death  shall  it  witness  any  more.  ^^The  last  en- 
emy that  shall  be  destroyed  is  death.''  The  my- 
riads who  must  perish,  and  the  devil  that  deceived 
them  shall  be  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.*  Death  al- 
so, says  the  scripture,  shall  be  cast  into  the  lake  of 
fire,t  and  to  that  dread  pi^ovince  it  shall  be  confi- 
ned forever.  There  is  living  death:  the  death  of 
all  that  is  pleasing  in  sensation;  the  death  of  all  that 
is  cheering  in  reflection;  the  death  of  all  that  is  con- 
soling in  remembrance;  the  death  of  all  that  is  ten- 
der in  affection;  the  death  of  all  that  is  delightful 
in  anticipation;  the  eternal  death  of  all  happiness 
and  hope. 

For  no  sooner  shall  Messiah  have  completed  his 
great  object,  than  he  lavs  aside  the  character  he  had 
sustained  for  its  accomplishment.  These  hosts  so  re- 
deemed he  presents  fortUwitli  before  his  father's 


104  S^ernifij. 

throne:  ^^beliol(l.  here  am  I  and  the  children  whom 
thou  hast  given  me/'  This  workL  so  remoulded, 
he  restores  to  God's  great  empire?  And  order 
once  restored  to  God's  disordered  universe,  and 
presentation  made  of  God's  once  banished  chil- 
dren, the  sceptre  of  Iramanuel  is  laid  aside  at  once: 

AND  NOW  LET  ETERNITY  ROLL  ON!!       Hell  SeCS  the 

movement  when  Messiah  bends  the  knee;  and  all 
lier  legions  make  one  sudden  moan.  That  bended 
knee!  that  sceptre  given  up!  Then  God's  creation 
has  lost  its  <^prince  of  peace:"  no  Saviour  now  ex- 
ists, no  advocate  for  sinners:  the  kingdom  reverts 
to  God  the  just  and  mighty,  and  hope  is  gone  for* 
ever!!  **Consider  this,  ye  that  forget  God;  lest  he 
tear  you  in  pieces,  and  there  be  none  to  deliver!" 

II.  Let  Eternity  roll  on.  How  shall  I  tell 
you,  bretiiren,  the  measure  of  its  years!  How  shall 
I  unfold  the  destinies  of  this  great  universe,  now 
freed  from  sorrow,  guaranteed  from  danger,  when 
death  is  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire? 

We  cannot  tell  you  the  measure  of  its  years;  for 
it  is  duration  without  end.  We  cannot  even  sketch 
to  you  the  destinies  of  this  creation;  for  God  who 
will  mete  them  out  is  of  unfathomable  wisdom  aiid 
infinite  resource;  and  creation  shall  never  say,  he 
has  done  all  that  he  can  do  for  it.  But  tliis  much 
we  may  attempt  with  safety  and  with  certainty- 
Come,  take  post  with  me  on  this  renovated  eavth; 
and  while  she  wheels  her  course  among  the  star§ 


mernitij.  dOi 

of  God,  we  can  at  least  get  a  glimpse  of  those  un- 
known fields  of  being  through  which  intellect  may 
expatiate  forever;  and  we  can  obtain  one  measure 
of  dimension  so  stupendous  as  serves  well  to  take^ 
note  of  eternity  as  it  rolls. 

Our  earth,  we  said,  will  urge  her  course  among 
the  stars  of  God.     This  is  no  fiction,  no  heighten- 
ing of  the  fancy.     Your  sun  is  not  stationary:  not 
lane  star  that  twinkles  in  the  firmament  is  fixed  in 
absolute  space.     Were  it  so,  nothing  short  of  the 
f  xerHon  of  continued  miracle  would   keep  it  to  its 
place;  for  the  laws  of  gravitation,  like  the  divisii)il- 
ity  of  matter,  know  no  terminating  point.     That 
star  would  rush,  infallibly,  toward  the  nearest  kin- 
dred body;  all  portions  of  this  universe  woul^i  tend 
to  one-another,  sphere  driving  against  sphere,  globe 
crashing  after  globe;  till  all  nature  became  heaped 
in  one  pile    of  desolation.     The    T  w   that   regu- 
lates the   movements    of  this  earth  regulates  th^. 
movements  of   universal  nature.     Ail  stars,    like 
all  planets,  wheel  in  settled  course   around  their 
several  and  far  distant  centres.     And  at  this  mo- 
ment your  sun  is  driving  on,  with  all  his  planets^ 
satellites  and  comets,  to  some  far  distant  region,  we 
cannot  tell  you  where;  around  some  distant  centre^ 
we  cannot  tell  you  what.     But  you  may  know  the 
portion  of  the  universe  toward  which  we  are  driv- 
ing.    Now,  early  in  the  morning,  Vvhen  the  sun's 
first  beams  begin  to  dim  the  form  of  "Ophiucus 
huge,'^   those   stars^   which  are  just  rising  in  thj^ 

U 


i(K)  Eternitij. 

north-eastern  sky*-  are  the  ones  with  which  our  lu- 
minary hastes  to  make  acquaintance.  But  they  too 
are  in  motion;  the  whole  heavens  are  in  motion; 
you  may  trace  the  hosts  of  heaven  in  all  their  whirl- 
ing movements,  direct  and  retrograde;  but  you  can 
only  note  their  progress  by  tenths  of  seconds  in  the 
year. 

Who  can  tell  the  extent  of  such  mighty  revolu- 
tions! Whose  mind  can  grasp  the  immeasurable 
ilistances  of  the  centres  that  control  them!  I — who 
am  bewildered  with  tlie  amazing  flights  of  the  plan- 
ets and  comets  that  belong  to  this  system,  my  im- 
mediate home;  I,  who  look  with  wonder  on  the 
Georgian  planet  as  he  wends  his  wintry  way,  and 
measures  his  long  seasons  b^  the  eagle's  term  of 
life;  I,  who  note  the  comet  familiar  to  my  home 
sailing  past  as  the  fresh  acorn  begins  to  shoot  its 
sprout,  then  departing  on  its  circuit  only  then  to  re- 
appear when  my  acorn  crowns  the  forest,  the  oak  of 
a  thousand  years,  and  stretches  forth  his  withered 
and  thunder- riven  arms  to  hail,  as  it  passes,  the 
acq^iairjtatsce  of  his  infancy — how  shall  I  pretend 
to  si;rasp  the  stupendous  lapse  of  ages  ere  your  sun 
shall  have  succeeded  in  displaying  his  yellow  glo- 
ries in  those  regions  of  immensity  that  lie  near  his 
circuit,  and  make  good  his  return,  for  the  very  first 
ti,me.  to  that  point  of  his  vast  orbit  where  the  voice 
x)f  the    ■' lurii;:;iity  bade  him  urge  his  course?     Grod 

^In  the  month  ofJanuai^ij* 


Eternity.  107 

of  magnificence,  what  a  creation  is  this  of  thine! 
God  and  Father  of  our  liOrd  Jesus  Clirist,  how 
should  our  hearts  thank  thee  that  thou  hast  made  it 
for  thy  creatures;  and  that  thou  hast  saved  us  earth- 
ly creatures  from  the  depths  of  unfathomable  hell^ 
and  reserved  us  to  admire  such  sights  of  glory! 

Yes,  he  has  reserved  all  the  nations  of  the  saved 
to  wonder  at  these  sights  of  glory.  Through  eter- 
nity the  heavens  shall  declare  his  glory,  the  firma- 
ment still  shew  forth  his  handy  work.  And  far 
be  it  from  us  to  think  that  a  creation  constructed  on 
a  scale  of  such  magnificence,  that  it  may  wear  the 
stamp  of  the  creator's  all-sufficiency^ — far  be  it  from 
us  to  think  that  this  august  spectacle  shall  be  con- 
coaled  from  the  scrutiny  of  so  many  happy  beings  so 
admirably  calculated  to  understand  and  enjoy  it. 

Come,  then,  mount  upon  some  pinnacle  of  the  re- 
novated earth;  let  the  world  be  your  chariot  and  all 
green  hills  its  trappings,  while  you  enter  on  this 
circuit  to  survey  the  works  of  God.  Jesus  Christy, 
the  great  interpreter,  goes  with  you;  and  whereso- 
ever he  is  there  is  happiness  and  heaven.  H  e  shall 
tell  the  names  and  unfold  the  several  natures  of  the 
systems  that  you  pass.  Jesus  Christ — so  kind,  so 
social,  when  he  sat  in  some  retired  spot  or  on  some 
mountain  top  in  the  midst  of  his  poor  disciples— 
Jesus  Christ,  now  happy  in  the  eternal  salvation 
of  so  many  glorious  creatures — Jesus  Christ  shall 
take  delight  in  developing  their  faculties,  enriching 
their  minds  and   ennobling  every  feeling  of  their 


i6s  Eterniiy. 

simple  hearts,  by  telling  tales  of  wonder  about  eacii , 
system  as  they  pass,  and  answering  all  their  inqui- 
ries with  a  brother^ s  love  and  tenderness.     O  who 
€tUi  tell  the  glories  that  will  burst  upon  their  view; 
as  our  sun  shapes  his  course  toward  the  regions  of 
the  north!     Who  can  imagine  the  mighty  combina- 
tions, now  dimly  and  partially  scanned  through  *^op- 
tic  glass/'  that  will  present  themselves  tc^  the  mor© 
immediate  gaze  of  the  beings  who  have  gone  forth 
to  survey  the  wonders  of  their  brother's  work,  in 
the  day  when  "all  things  were  made  by  him!"^ — 
1  rge  on  ihy  course,  thou  sun  of  heaven,  and  all  at- 
tendant worlds!  drive  deep— deep— into  the  bosom 
of  immensity!     These  happy  creatures,  the  saved, 
of  God's  grace,  the  friends  and  followers  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  shall  wonderfully  extend  their 
knowledge   of  creation,  shall  fathom  rapidly  the 
conceptions  of  the  one  eternal  mind,  shall  bow  in 
lowlier  and  still  lowlier  adoration,  as  they   better 
comprehend  the  goodness  and  grandeur  of  Almigh- 
ty God;  till  the  least   feeling   heart   become    soft 
as  any  cherub's,  the  narrowest  understanding  com- 
prehensive  as  Gabriel's,   the  least  dignified  pres- 
ence  commanding  as    archangel's. — Urge  on  thy 
course,  then,  rapid  sun  of  heaven,  and  ye,  attend- 
ant worlds!     Ere  you  shall  have  measured  the  onfe 
half  of  your  round,  an?!  began  to  circle  back  toward 
ih    o    er  end  of  heaven,  these    happy   creatures,; 


'^John  i.  Sc 


Miernitf  109 

iliese  moimments  of  goodness  such  as  God  displays, 
will  have  so  far  climbed  the  iuteiiiiiuable  scale  of 
excellence  that  were  a  man  ot' earth,  as  earth's  sons 
now  are  seen,  to  meet  with  such  a  comj)any,  he 
would  hardly  recognize  them  as  fellow  creatures. — ' 
Complete  thy  circuit,  glorious  sun  of  heaven!  let 
our  travellers  now  mingle  with  some  blissful  com- 
pany that  they  may  have  left  behind.  Vast  has 
been  their  circuit,  Ions;  has  been  their  absence,  but 
it  was  a  single  revolution  of  a  mighty  sum:  it  was 
but  one  such  little  year  as  eternity  must  always 
tell:  indeed  it  noted  but  one  hour  of  that  eternal 
day. 

Take,  my  dear  brethren,  some  snch  measure  of 
eternity.  Let  immensity  be  the  dia:l  plate,  and 
each  star  in  its  course  some  circling  hand  to  poini 
out  the  hours  of  eternity  as  it  rolls.  Then  tell  me 
if  the  Salvation  of  your  immortal  spirits  is  a  thing 
of  small  account.  Tell  me  if  it  was  beneath  the 
dignity  of  the  Saviour  to  stoop  lowly  as  he  did,  for 
liis  three  and  thirty  years,  to  save  so  many  wretch- 
es from  the  perdition  of  the  curse,  and  lift  them  to 
such  a  height  of  dignity  and  blis^;. 

What  dignity?  What  bliss?  We  attempted 
last  Lord's  day  to  portray  the  dignity  allotted  t(? 
the  beings  who  rank  in  heaven's  eternal  calendar^, 
as  ^-the  sons  and  the  daughters  of  the  Lord  Almigh- 
ty."' We  would  gladly  have  depicted  the  bliss 
awaitins^  those  whom  the  Lamb  himself  shall  feed 
md  lead  by  the  fountains  of  living  waters^  and 


110  Eternity. 

"whose  fellowship  extends  not  only  to  millions  of 
wise  and  happy  creatures,  but  to  "the,  Father  of 
Spirits/^  and  to  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  In  that  at- 
tempt we  fell  far  short  of  our  own  conceptions,  far 
as  these  conceptions  must  have  fallen  short  of  the 
reality.  How  then  shall  we  aspire  to  success  to- 
day? If  it  were  a  theme  too  mighty  when  we  por- 
trayed the  heavenly  state,  what  shall  be  said  of 
the  tusk  we  undertake  wheii  proffering  to  depict  to 
you  the  rising  grandeur  of  that  state  of  being,  as 
its  blessings  are  still  enlarging  through  the  endless 
succession  of  eternity's  vast  years!  We  have  heard 
of  a  suggestion  that  mortal  men  might  speak  with 
'''the  tongues  of  angels*''  in  unfolding  the  wonder- 
ful ways  of  Grod;  we  have  some  where  read  of  pen- 
cils "dipped  in  dyes  of  heaven^'  to  picture  scenes 
in  their  appropriate  lustre.  But  neither  tongue  of 
angel,  neither  dyes  of  heaven,  would  prove  suffi- 
cient to  portray  the  scenes  that  eternity  may  pre-^ 
sent  after  many  such  revolutions  as  that  which  we 
have  traced.  An  angel's  language  could  at  best  be 
framed  to  utter  the  conceptions  to  which  the  creator's 
ways  give  birth,  as  already  unfolded  in  the  sight 
of  his  creation.  Even  dyes  of  heaven  could  serve 
no  other  purpose  than  to  represent  the  lustre  which 
the  universe  now  wears  under  the  forming  hand  of 
its  creator.  But  men  and  angels,  and  the  universe 
at  large,  are  framed  with  capacities  for  making 

^X  Coi\  xiii.  1. 


Eterniip  111 

eternal  progress.  Progressive  evolution  is  the  uni- 
versal plan.  And  if  every  thing  we  meet  with  in 
the  world  around  us,  if  matter  and  mind,  if  every 
individual  and  all  congregated  masses,  begin  tlieir 
course  as  germs,  and  unfold  in  slow  progression; 
who  can  define  the  aspect  of  this  young  universe, 
now  shooting  as  a  germ  in  the  midst  of  God's  im- 
mensity, after  it  shall  have  been  long  fostered  by 
his  care,  and  become  so  matured  as  to  express  the 
full  conceptions  of  its  august  controller? 

What  then  are  dyes  of  heaven,  as  dyes  of  lieav- 
en  now  are?  What,  but  the  first  and  slightest  tinge 
©f  the  protruded  germ,  that  will  be  increasing  day 
fey  day  in  depth  and  vividness  till  circling  eternity 
shall  present  it  in  maturity.  No  angeFs  tongue^ 
no  dyes  of  heaven,  could  furnish  us  the  measure  of 
heaven's  future  bliss  and  glory,  were  these  helps 
at  oi^r  command.  Not  so  aided,  not  so  furnished, 
we  can  do  nothing  more  than  point  you  to  the  facts 
we  have  already  named.  The  faculties  of  all  the 
intelligent  creation,  all  that  you  call  mind  and  all 
that  you  call  heart,  are  framed  for  an  interminable 
series  of  evolutions.  Look  then  at  Eternity's 
clock!  Think  of  the  interminable  series  of  rounds 
almost  interminal)le  that  every  star  must  finish!- 
Make  the  completion  of  every  such  round  an  epochj 
and  tell  me  how  far  creation  will  have  unfolded  its 
yet  unseen  resources,  belore  that  first  grand  period 
shall  have  terminated.  With  the  succeeding  epoch 
hegia  another  computation;  aijid  tell  me  of  tliQ  marcfe 


Ai^  Eternitif, 

of  many  niiglity  minds,  tell  me  wliat  new  ties  will 
bind  many  tender  hearts,  in  the  progress  of  this 
second  and  almost  endless  period. 

But  we  trifle,  but  we  babble.  This  universe  is 
in  the  hand  of  God  omniscient  and  almighty.  It  is 
?iow,  in  all  its  parts,  but  a  young  imperfect  thing. 
You  and  I  must  wait  the  progress  of  eternity,  to 
dive  into  the  conceptions  of  the  eternal  mindo 
Each  new  combination,  each  succeeding  aspect  of 
heaven's  great  society,  must  only  be  the  platform^ 
of  some  succeeding  plan.  Thus  shall  the  building 
rise,  eternity's  own  building,  like  Babel's  miglity 
tower,  story  upon  story— story  above  story.  Nor 
shall  its  glories  or  its  grandeur  receive  their  finish^ 
till  unfathomable  wisdom  has  exhausted  its  re- 
sources, or  the  arm  of  the  Almighty  failed  to  match 
the  conceptions  of  his  mind. 

And  now,  who  that  recollects  he  has  himself  a  deep 
interest  in  all  these  future  changes,  will  think  light-^ 
ly  of  the  station  whence  only  he  can  survey  them 
in  security  and  peace?  Who  will  not  learn  to  priz© 
the  gift  of  an  existence  that  is  to  run  parallel  with 
the  evolution  of  heaven's  stupendous  plans,  and  to 
be  henceforward  the  cotemporary  of  every  glorious 
creature  to  which  the  Almiglity  may  give  birth?  It 
is  not  simply  the  state  of  blessedness  and  glory 
that  gives  value  to  existence;  it  is  chiefly  tlie  con- 
sideration that  it  is  an  interminable  state.  It  i^ 
not  mainly  the  mou'ld  of  this  miglity  frame  of  thhigs 
that  establishes  its  importance:  it  is  the  fa^t  that  all 


Eternity.  II5 

creation  is  in  an  incipient  state,  and  will  be  still 
unfolding — repeatedly  unfolding  -eternally  unfold- 
ing— new  beauties  and  resources  of  which  no  crea- 
ture had  a  thought;  and  presenting  itself  under  suc- 
cessive and  amazing  combinations  of  which  no  crea- 
ture in  the  universe  had  imagined  it  susceptible. 
And  we  who  are  immortal  as  God's  almost  bound- 
less universe,  we  who  are  to  witness  all  its  chang- 
es, as  existence  still  runs  on  parallel  with  his  eter- 
nity, we  derive  no  small  assistance  from  these  rev- 
olutions of  the  spheres:  for  on  them  the  mind  can 
perch,  as  on  little  specks  of  land  amid  a  mighty 
ocean,  and  there  rest  its  wearied  wing  before  it 
again  stretch  forward  to  other  points  more  distant. 
O,  could  we  frame  our  speech  to  delineate  the 
changes  that  await  the  sum  of  things,  the  incalcula- 
ble blessings  that  await  the  hosts  of  the  redeemed^ 
during  one  such  revolution,  we  should  deem  our 
undertaking  full  ably  accomplished:  we  should  ex- 
pect to  hear  you  saying  ^God  is  great,  and  great 
are  the  destinies  of  his  eternal  kingdom:'  and  w& 
should  hope  that  each  of  you,  taking  measure  of 
eternity  by  one  of  its  vast  years,  would  hasten  even 
iiow  to  make  your  calling  and  election  sure.  But 
we  cannot  frame  our  speech  to  tell  of  things  unut- 
terable; and  we  know  not  how  to  leave  you,  though 
in  attempting  it  we  chatter,  till  we  have  lifted  your 
conceptions  to  these  unutterable  things. — Drive  en 
thou  sun  of  heaven!  thy  progress  mustunfold  to  them 
the  untold  glories  of  the  eternal  world,     Lige  thy 


114  Eternity, 

course  tliou  rapid  sun  of  heaven!  Many  shall  be 
thy  visits  to  the  recesses  of  the  north,  ere  happy 
spirits,  the  saved  of  God's  grace,  shall  have  learn- 
ed to  guess  the  value  of  the  existence  they  inherit^ 
by  comparing  themselves  and  the  universe  around 
them  with  what  it  was  and  what  themselves  could 
boast,  when  first,  in  heaven,  they  began  their  long 
career. 

But  though  with  all  the  assistance  we  are  able  to 
derive  from  these  measures  of  eternity  we  can  do 
but  little  in  unfolding  the  wondrous  destinies  of  the 
holy  and  the  happy,  we  do  not  labour  under  the 
same  disadvantages  in  attempting  to  develope  the 
full  proportions  of  the  curse.  There  all  is  dark- 
ness, call  eternal  sameness.  No  wonders  burst  on 
the  astitnished  sight,  no  varied  riches  gratify  the 
mind,  no  mighty  combinations  change  the  face  of 
thingpi,  in  that  abode  of  death.  Variety  is  bles- 
sing; even  change  of  any  sort  were  blessing:  but  in 
the  lake  where  death  the  silent  monarch  reigns,  no 
variety  shall  have  place  to  bless  the  dwellers  there. 

Come  then  and  take  a  measure  for  eternal  nighty 
and  you  may  sum  up  the  hours  that  are  allied  with 
that  perdition  frnn  which  Messiah  proffers  to  de- 
liver you.  We  will  give  you  a  larger  measure  for 
the  heavy  hours  of  Tophet  than  was  just  now  fur- 
nislsed  for  whole  years  of  bliss.  The  sun  itself^, 
and  }.]!  the  stars  that  spangle  heaven's  great  vault^ 
are  but  portions  of  a  system  incomparably  more  vast. 
They    are   our   neighbour- stars;   mere   stragglerF 


Eternityi  115 

connected  with  that  mighty  host  that  forms  the 
milky  way.  That  milky  way  is  but  a  host  of  stars! 
too  numerous  too  count,  to  distant  to  descry,  their 
mingled  light  just  shews  a  milky  whiteness.  And 
all  these  millions,  these  eighty  millions  of  stars,  form 
but  one  vast  system;  and  all  their  movements  refer 
to  one  great  centre,  a  common  centre  of  the  assem- 
liled  host.  It  is  but  a  single  host — a  host  assem- 
bled and  stored  in  one  small  point.  For  far  with- 
out the  boundary  of  this  mass  of  lights  lie  other 
milky  ways,  of  which  five  and  twenty  hundred  are 
now  distinctly  counted,  as  vast  and  perhaps  more 
vast  than  that  in  which  we  move.  And  who  can 
tell  the  sum  of  (rod's  systems  of  creation! — Yet 
these  mighty  congregations  do  not  lie  beyond  the 
circle  of  each  other's  influence.  Every  such  as- 
semblage must  tend  to  every  other,  as  planet  tends 
to  planet,  and  single  star  to  star.  Every  such  as- 
semblage must  be  balanced  by  its  movement  around 
its  proper  centre,  as  planet  or  comet  around  its  own 
particular  sun.  And  thus  one  simple  law  pervades 
the  immensity  of  space,  and  the  whole  creation 
sings  as  it  whirls  around  together. 

But  you,  who  were  just  now  lost  in  the  attempt 
to  follow  the  path  of  our  own  sun,  as  he  urges  his 
course  toward  the  regions  of  the  north — you  who 
cannot  measure  th^  circumference  of  his  orbit,  nor 
find  figures  to  tell  the  years  in  which  he  accom- 
plishes one  round — what  will  you  do  when  you  re- 
collect that  this  vast  round  is  still  confined  withiR 


il6  Eternity  > 

the  limits  of  this  single  cluster  which  we  call  the 
milky  way;   and  that  this  cluster  has  a  motion,  in 
common  with  other  clnsters,  compared  with  whose 
vast  sweep  the  orbit  of  your  sun  is  reduced  to  a 
little  point.     What  numbers  will  you  marshal  to 
calculate  the  period  in  which    one   such  cluster, 
sweeping  through  immensity,   sliall  return    to  the 
station  whence  it  first  departed?     As  the   planets 
in  their  courses  travel  many  a  round  before  the  sun 
which  is  their  principal  can  make  a  single  circuit, 
so  each  star — each  sun — in  its  course  shall  travel 
many  a  round,  shall  often  have  visited  the  opposite 
extremes  of  the  mighty  congregation,  before  that 
congregation,  obedient  to  the  law  that  controls  the 
smaller  systems,  shall  have  traversed   one  degree 
of  its  amazing  orbit. — Now,  nott^  you  have  a  meas- 
ure for  eternity!  now  let  misery  count  the  hours  ot 
her  duration!     Let  every  revolution  of  these  clus- 
ters round  that  point  which  regulates    the   move- 
ments of  the  marshalled  universe  tell  an  hour  from 
eternity's  own  stores.     Once  more  let   immensity 
be  the  dial  plate  you  note:  let  the  sun  in  its  course 
tell  the  minutes  of  eternity;  let   the   revolution   of 
the   whole   creation  point  you  to  the  lapse  of  its 
hours. 

And,  noWp  who  can  calculate  the  mighty  mass 
of  woe,  when  all  that  we  saw  of  Tophet  presses  on 
Ihe  spirit  through  an  endless  series  of  such  amaz- 
ing revolutions!  No  dweller  tliere  can  note  the 
moveBient   of  your   sun.     The  provinces   of  ere- 


Eternity,  Hy 

ation  may  finish  many  a  round;  but  in  Tophet  all  is 
darkness  as  well  as  sorrow  and  pain.  Oh,  let 
some  mighty  spirit,  now  only  mighty  to  endure,  cry 
out  for  the  completion  of  one  such  revolution — hope 
the  only  sad  change  that  eternity  affords  him,  or  ev- 
er shall  afford,  the  termination  of  one  period  of  in- 
terminable suffering.  Long  must  he  wait  ere  this 
Jubilee  shall  come.  Many  will  be  the  movements 
the  universe  must  make,  and  many  the  joyoug 
changes  among  happy  spirits  of  heaven^  stars  shall 
go  their  circuit  a  thousand  times  repeated,  ere  these 
mighty  congregations  shall  have  finished  their  first 
round;  ere  an  answer  can  be  returned  to  the  ques- 
tion often  urged  from  the  realms  where  no  one 
sees,  "vvatchman  whatofthe  night? '^— ^"watchman, 
what  of  the  niglit?'^ — ^Cease,  troubled  spirit/  at 
last  some  hollow  voice  responds — ^cease  troubled 
spirit:  the  first  grand  revolution  of  God's  universe 
is  finished,  the  first  grand  period  of  thy  suffering 
is  completed,  the  clock  of  eternity  strikes' 
ONE.' 

Oh  many  are  the  changes  the  universe  shall  wit- 
ness, and  wonderful  the  progress  all  happy  souls 
shall  make,  before  a  second  answer  is  returned  to 
such  a  question,  *cease,  troubled  spirit:  the  clock  of 
eternity  strikes  two.' 

And  will  you,  my  Dear  Friends,  still  trifle  with 
eternity,  and  build  all  your  calculations  on  your 
three  score  years  and  ten?  Will  you  still  look  on 
me  as  some  meanly  selfish  being,  when  I  ^'pniy  you 


118  '^Urnify. 

in  Christ's  stead  to  be  reconciled  to  God/'  and 
press  to  your  very  lips  the  cup  of  his  salvation?  You 
hear  him  ever  saying,  "Believe  and  be  baptized:" 
you  hear  him  still  repeating,  «^Take  my  yoke  upon 
you.''  And  you,  foolish  creatui-e!  unhappy^  erring 
creature!  you  tell  the  master  of  this  magnificent  cre- 
ation, you  say  to  the  controller  of  these  amazing 
destinies,  that  you  hope  to  be  saved  without  the 
water  of  his  baptism;  and  that  you  are  ashamed  or 
afraid  of  the  cup  of  his  new  testament. 

Clock  of  eternity,  strike  one!  Oh  before  its 
wheels  shall  have  made  the  progress  of  one  minute, 
before  our  own  little  sun  shall  have  run  half  its  lit- 
tle circuit,  ihe  question  of  your  destinies  will  have 
he.en  forever  settled,  and  such  memento  of  eternity 
cannot  move  you  from  your  place.  ^^To-day,  if  ye 
will  hear  his  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts."  To- 
day resolve  to  fulfil  the  wliole  commandment  of  the 
Saviour.  Lift  up  your  cry  to  him:  seek  forgive- 
ness in  his  blood;  seek  the  baptism  of  his  spirit; 
seek  the  fellowship  of  saints;  seek  all  that  his  wis- 
dom has  appointed  in  his  church:  and  no  longer 
have  the  madness  to  risk  your  eternal  all  on  that 
partly  christian,  partly  heathen  course  which  so 
many  of  you  pursue.  Little  children!  we  invite 
you  to  a  Father — he  is  the  Father  of  Eternity — 
who  will  make  you  far  more  happy  than  you  have 
ever  hoped  to  be.  Children  of  the  Gentiles!  we 
invite  you  to  a  Father  who  will  receive  the  veriest 
stranger  as  the  dearest  child  of  Abrahani.     Noth- 


Eterni^:  Aid 

hig  is  more  practicable  than  your  salvation  now. 
Your  only  work  is  to  believe  on  Jesus  Christ;** 
your  only  preparation  a  desire  for  his  salvation.! 
Nothing  can  be  more  hopeless  than  the  salvation  of 
immortals,  when  once  the  conquering  Saviour  shall 
have  delivered  up  the  kingdom.  He  then  lays 
aside  his  office:  he  is  no  more  a  Saviour:  he  bids 
eternity  roll  on. 

And  now,  my  dear  friends,  once  more — one  ef- 
fort more  to  pierce  that  ••rind  of  Leviathan''  and  set 
your  spirits  free — and  then,  if  all  the  solemnities 
e^  the  judgment  cannot  move  you,  if  all  that  is  per» 
dition  in  Tophet  cannot  move  you,  if  all  that  is  joy- 
ous in  heaven  cannot  move  you,  if  all  that  is  stu= 
pendous  in  eternity  cannot  move  you, — why  then — 
LET  ETERNITY  ROLL  on!  But  we  cannot  leave 
you  thus.  Long  have  we  hoped,  and  often  have  we 
prayed,  to  build  here  a  glorious  church;  a  church 
composed  of  spirits  ardent  as  the  seraph,  pure  as 
heaven's  own  cherubim,  and  lofty  as  arch-angels 
that  bow  before  God's  throne.  *  Fervently  have  we 
wished  that  we,  even  all  of  us,  whose  hearts  are 
now  so  iirmly  bound  together — that  you,  who  are 
plainly  becoming  attached  to  one-another  because 
you  meet  together  in  this  peaceful  house  of  prayer, 
and  that  I,  whom  when  ^^sick  and  a  stranger"  ye 
took  in — fervently  have  we  wished  that  hearts  so 
bound  on  earth  may  grow  in  their  attachments 
through  eternity's  vast  years:   and  that  long  and 

""■John  vi.  29>        \Bev»  xxii,  17' 


i^  Eternitij. 

much  as  we  mingle  with  the  nations,  the  saved  of 
God^s  grace,  and  frequently  as  we  consort  with 
mighty  cherubim  and  beings  of  other  worlds,  yet 
have  we  wished  that  wc,  even  all  of  us,  '^built  up 
together  in  our  most  holy  faith,'^  may  together  re- 
visit earth  and  together  move  through  heaven,  a  lit- 
tle band  of  most  peculiar  friends. 

Once  more  then  we  will  unfurl  the  banner  of  the 
cross.  That  one- starred  banner,  the  glorious  ^^star 
of  Bethlehem,^^  (God  himself  so  helping  us)  shall 
glitter  to  the  sun.  And  if — when  we  bring  Mes- 
siah's salvation  near,  if — when  we  have  shewn  you 
how  readily,  how  speedily,  how  certainly  you  may 
attain  to  a  happy  destiny  for  that  eternal  world — if 
still  you  will  not  hear  us, — why  then — O  m^ 
brethren,  may  God  Almighty  bless  you!— thejt-, 
CLOCK  OF  EiERNiTYl  STUIKJB  ON!!      Mien. 


©IlIEm(DSI  w. 


MESSlAH^S  MESSAGE. 

^'It  behoved  Christ  to  suffer^  and  to  rise  from  th$ 
dead  the  third  day:  and  that  repentance  and 
remission  of  sins  should  he  'preached  in  his 
name  among  all  nations^  beginning  at  Jerusa- 
lem.^^    Luke  xxiv.  46,  47- 

IN  our  meetings  with  you^  from  week  to  weefc^ 
my  dear  brethren,  we  have  often  called  to  mind 
that  prayer  of  David,  that  he  might  see  the  beauty 
and  the  glory  of  Jehovah  in  his  sanctuary,  as  it  had 
been  seen  of  his  people  in  ages  that  were  past. 
We  know  not  what  are  the  feelings  with  which 
most  of  you  have  taken  your  seats  this  afternoon: 
but  nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  we  seldom  re- 
alize the  important  question  awaiting  our  decision 
every  time  we  enter  the  sanctuary  of  the  Most  High, 
That  minister  must  be  shamefully*  ignorant  of  his 
dutv;  or  unfaithful  to  his  trusty  whose  every  dis- 


f^"^  MessiaVs  Message-, 

course  may  not  be  more  or  less  resolved  into  the 
proclamation  of  ^^repentance  and  remission  of  sins^^ 
in  the  name  of  Je«us  Christ:  and  that  people  must 
be  exceedingly  inattentive  to  their  interest,who  have 
yet  to  learn  that  every  time  they  hear  this  message 
of  their  peace^  and  refuse  to  profit  by  it,  they,  with 
their  own  hand,  set  to  the  seal  to  their  own  perdi- 
tion. 

You  have  not,  my  dear  friends!  I  know  well  that 
most  of  you  have  not  been  in  the  habit  of  viewing 
matters  in  this  serious  light.  You  regard  the  ef- 
forts of  the  Christian  ministry  rather  as  exhibitions 
of  human  taste  and  genius,  than  as  authoritative 
proclamations  of  God's  great  salvation.  You  limit 
your  expectations  to  instruction  and  delight,  with- 
out laying  to  heart  that  the  offices  of  the  sanctuary 
are  ordained  of  God  as  the  great  mean  of  salvation; 
and  that  U  is  probably  from  the  pulpit  his  mighty 
arm  will  reach  you,  if  ever  you  are  made  to  inherit 
that  salvation. 

We  have  lately  unfolded  to  you  the  eternal  des- 
tinies in  which  you  are  speedily  and  certainly  to 
share.  You  have  seen  the  horrors  of  ever- burning 
Tophet.  You  have  wondered  at  the  magnificence 
of  God's  great  salvation.  Did  you  know  that  with- 
in  this  hour  your  own  allotment  was  certainly  to  be 
fettled  for  that  eternal  state — that  you  could  not 
this  aiternoon  depart  these  walls  witliout  wearing 
on  your  forehead  the  seal  of  God's  salvation,  or  the 
f??,tal  mark  of  final  reprobation— what  soleamitj 


Messiah?&  Message.  1S3 

would  at  this  moment  sit  on  every  countenancel 
with  what  eagerness  would  you  catch  the  message 
I  am  about  to  announce  to  you!  Every  ear  would 
be  open,  every  eye  intent,  every  heart  alive;  and 
an  awful  grandeur  would  seem  to  shroud  this  stand. 
And  have  you,  then,  never  thought  of  it,  that  on 
the  morning  or  afternoon  of  some  Lord's  day  this 
question  will  probably  be  settled  in  this  very  way? 
Have  you  not  reflected,  that  if,  when  we  urge  you 
to  lay  hold  on  God's  salvation,  you  still  neglect  to 
do  so,  that  very  negligence  is  as  the  choice  of  rep- 
robation? Have  you  not  yet  laid  to  heart  that  a 
compliance  with  the  requisition  to  ^'•believe  with  the 
heart''  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Ch.rist,  and  to  confess 
him  with  your  lips,  must  be  your  own  formal  and 
immediate  act;  must  infallibly  take  place,  here  or 
elsewhere,  sooner  or  later,  by  night  or  by  day;  op 
you  never  can  be  saved?  And  are  you  yet  to  learn 
that  God's  Holy  Spirit  will  not  always  strive  with 
men;  but  that  if  you  still  resist  the  feeling  which 
sometimes  inclines  you  to  do  the  thing  at  once  which 
duty  and  safety  dictate,  if  you  thus  ^^grieve,"  "re- 
sist," '^quench,"  insult  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  will 
infallibly  desert  you  and  leave  you  to  your  fate. 
And  then  the  heart  must  inevitably  settle  down, 
cold,  careless  and  callous,  till  that  dread  moment 
when  the  string  of  the  fell  archer  shall  twang  in 
fearful  sort,  and  the  poison  of  his  arrows  rankle  in 

vour  breast. 

t/ 

Yes,  friends,  there   must  be  some  occurrence, 


i24i  Messia  li  ^s  Message  ^ 

some  word  that  you  will  hear  in  the  house  of  God, 
or  some  movement  of  the  feelings  in  some  other 
way  occasioned,  that  will  impel  you  to  the  Sav- 
iour, directly,  eagerly.  Or  the  alternative  must 
take  place:  you  still  neglect  or  refuse  to  make  ap- 
plication to  him,  till  he  swear  in  his  wrath  that  you 
shall  not  enter  into  his  rest.  And  then,  though 
you  lingered  out  the  age  of  a  Methuselah^  you  ar© 
certainly  gone  forever. 

We  attempt,  this  afternoon,  the  conclusion  of 
that  appeal  to  all  that  is  tender  and  intelligent  in 
your  nature,  which  we  had  for  some  time  past  been 
projecting  as  a  last  effort  to  accomplish  among  you 
the  great  object  of  our  ministry.  And  it  is  not  at 
all  impossible  that  the  decision  you  may  enter  up 
before  you  leave  these  walls,  will  settle  the  ques- 
tion of  eternal  life  or  death  for  several  who  now 
hear  me.  Hear  then  as  for  Eternity.  And  may 
the  God  of  grace  so  order  it  that  it  shall   be  for 

3LIFE   ETERNAL. 

We  select  for  your  meditations  the  final  instruc* 
tions  of  our  f^ord  to  his  Apostles.  They  were  giv- 
en with  much  solemnity,  and  in  a  moment  of  deep 
interest.  For  no  sooner  had  he  commissioned 
them  to  proclaim  salvation,  in  his  name,  than  he 
led  them  forth  from  Jerusalem  as  far  as  Bethany; 
aivd  there  lifting  up  his  hand  he  gave  them  his  last 
blessing;  and  while  blessing  them  he  was  caught 
up  into  the  presence  of  his  Father.  There  is  there- 
fore meaning;  there  h  feelings  in  the  charge  ^pro- 


MpS8ia¥s  Message,  4^5 

daim  in  my  name  salvation  to  all  nations/  It  is  not 
merely  a  charge  to  declare  among  all  nations  how 
Grod  can  he  just  and  the  justifier  of  the  ungodly 
believing  on  his  Son.  It  is  a  commandment  to  prof- 
fer directly  and  authoritatively  the  great  deliver- 
ance that  has  been  achieved:  it  is  as  ^^ambassadors 
for  Christ"  and  as  acting  '^in  Christ's  stead"*  to 
say  to  all  men  ^Oje  ye  reconciled  to  God;"  and  to 
tender  to  them  freely,  on  the  behalf  of  Jesus  Christ, 
^^in  the  name^'  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  pardon  and  the 
righteousness  on  which  alone  the  reconciliation 
can  be  grounded.  The  gospel  of  salvation  is  there- 
fore a  message,  an  authoritative  message,  it  is 
Messiah's  Message  to  the  perishing  of  all  na- 
tions. And  WG  w  ho  are  entrusted  with  it  woefully 
miscarry  in  the  fulfilment  of  our  trust,  if  we  do  not 
so  frame  it  "as  thougli  God,  tJie  Saviour,  did  be- 
seech you  by  us"  to  come  at  once  and  be  reconciled 
through  him. 

It  does  not  comport  with  the  main  object  of  this 
exercise  to  notice  at  any  great  length  the  principles 
involved  in  the  former  part  of  these  instructions. 
They  have  been  submitted  to  you  frequently,  and, 
in  many  a  forrn.     We  will  sketcli  very  briefly 

I.  The  reasons  wherefore  "it  behoved  Christ 
to  suffer,  and  to  rise  from  the  dead  the  third  day.'* 
And 

ir.     The   principle  on  which  "repentance  and 


^2  Corinth,   v.  20. 


ISS  MesBia¥s  Message^ 

remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name/' 
And  then 

III.  We  will  notice  the  encouragement  held 
out  "to  all  nations'^  to  apply  confidently  to  Messi- 
ah for  salvation. 

I.  "It  behoved  Christ  to  suffer,  and  to  rise  fronv 
the  dead.^^  We  know  not  how  to  give  the  reasons 
wherefore  the  sufferings  and  resurrection  of  the 
Saviour  were  indispensable  to  our  salvation^  with- 
in the  narrow  limits  to  which  we  are  necessarily 
restricted.  There  is,  however,  one  consideration 
connected  with  this  subject  that  speaks  volumes  in 
behalf  of  the  declaration  here  made.  The  scrip- 
tures always  speak  of  it  as  an  act  of  sovereignty — 
and  it  was  an  act  that  demanded  and  still  demands 
the  tribute  of  unceasing  and  unutterable  gratitude — ■■ 
ihatthe  Saviour  did  not  take  upon  him  ^^the  nature 
of  angels/'  but  united  his  destiny  with  "the  seed  of 
Abraham. ''  Unless  it  be  a  few  visionaries  who 
fritter  away  the  scriptures  at  will,  and,  virtually 
at  least,  deny  the  necessity  and  even  efficacy  of 
Messiah's  interposition  in  behalf  of  the  human  race, 
there  is  no  one  who  thinks  or  speaks  of  the  salva- 
tion of  fallen  angels  as  an  event  even  to  be  hoped. 
We  know  that  they  are  "reserved  in  everlasting 
chdns,  under  darkness,  to  the  judgment  of  the  great 
duy."*  And  further  than  this  we  know  nothing 
of  their  destiny,  except  only  that  we  are  informed, 


Messiah^s  Message,  ISJ* 

in  the  only  authentic  exposition  of  the  divine  coun- 
sels, that  ^*the  smoke  of  their  torment  ascencleth  up 
forever  and  ever/^*  If  it  should  be  inquired  why 
these  fallen  spirits  are  thus  cut  off  from  all  hope; 
the  more  immediate  and  natural  answer  will  ba 
that  no  Saviour  has  been  provided  for  them.  If 
this  answer  does  not  satisfy,  if  the  inquiry  be  urg- 
ed why  they  do  not  rise  from  their  hapless  condi- 
tion by  their  own  native  energies;  the  fact  that  they 
have  not  and  that  they  never  will  do  so  should  go 
far  towards  satisfying  us  that  it  is  a  task  above 
their  powers.  Here  then  is  our  whole  answer:  no 
Saviour  has  been  provided  for  them,  and  they  can- 
not save  themselves.  They  have  no  hope;  and  the 
#nly  prayer  a  devil  was  ever  known  to  utter  was 
that  he  might  not  be  tormented  before  the  time^f 
The  fact,  as  has  been  said,  speaks  volumes  on 
the  importance  of  the  Saviour's  mission  to  our  un- 
happy world.  If  beings  of  such  intelligence  an^ 
experience,  possessed  of  such  stupendous  powers^ 
and  aided  in  every  sense  by  the  recollections  fur- 
nished from  their  former  state,  still  lack  the  knowl- 
edge, or  the  will  or  power,  to  attempt  the  recovery  of 
the  glory  they  once  inherited;  if  they  know  no  meth- 
od of  escape  from  torment  except  only  to  pray  that  it 
may  not  come  too  soon;  if  hopeless  perdition  be  the 
lot  of  spirits  of  heaven  when  once  fallen  from  theiF 
high   estate:    then  what  is  man,  poor  feeble  man^ 

^^gt%xiv.il  ^x^AQ.     t*^tff.Yiii,^9.  i^Marky.7^ 


1S8  Messiahs  Message 


'&' 


this  inexperienced  spirit  and  lump  of  brittle  clay^ 
that  he  might  achieve  what  no  angel  ever  hopes^ 
although  the  Son  of  God  had  never  been  known 
among  us  as  '*the  seed  of  Abraham"  too! 

So  far  is  it  from  being  practicable  for  humau 
beings  to  restore  themselves  to  innocence  and  a 
state  of  favor  with  the  God  of  purity,  that^  as  we  are 
told  in  language  sufficiently  intelligible,  there  was 
in  fact  no  possible  way  in  which  God  himself  could 
save  us  but  through  the  assumption  of  the  nature 
and  responsibilities  of  man  by  the  Son  of  God. 
^'If."'  says  the  Apostle  Paul,  when  attempting  ta 
dissuade  the  Galatian  church  from  seeking  salva- 
tion  without  reference  to  tlie  sacrifice  and  obedi- 
ence of  the  Saviour,  ^'if  there  had  been  a  law  giv- 
en which  could  have  given  life,  verily  righteous- 
ness should  have  been  by  the  law/**  You  will 
mark  the  general  assumption  on  which  the  Apostle 
predicates  this  conclusion:  all  the  judgments  of  God, 
all  his  allotments  to  any  of  his  creatures,  must  be 
dictated  by  righteousness.  We  will  weigh  this  as- 
suoiption  hereafter.  But  what  is  the  conclusion 
founded  on  it  by  our  Apostle?  It  is  that  the  Son 
of  God  has  not  made  a  needless  sacrifice:  it  is  that 
his  God  and  Father  inflicts  no  needless  pain.  He 
says  thai  if  man's  salvation  could  have  been  possi- 
bly made  to  comport  with  tbe  law  of  eternal  right- 
oii!*^ness  on  any  other  principle,  on  that  other  prin^ 

'^Galat,  iii.  gl,     * 


MessiaVs  Message.  i2Q 

ciple  the  plan  of  our  salvation  would  most  infalli- 
bly have  been  framed.  The  wise  and  good  God 
would  never  have  weakened  the  sanctions  of  his 
own  law,  would  never  have  taught  the  universe  to 
Jook  on  pang  and  degradation  as  things  of  so  little 
consequence  that  his  own  Son  could  needlessly  vol- 
unteer to  brave  them;  as  must  really  be  the  case  if 
the  degradations  of  his  life  and  the  agonies  of  his 
cross  were  needlessly  interwoven  in  the  plan  of  our 
salvation.  No^  it  is  not  the  fact.  We  do  not  limit 
the  resources  of  the  all-sufficient;  the  scriptures  be- 
ing  judge,  the  constitutions  of  the  Most  High,  the 
nature  of  the  law  to  which  he  at  first  subjected  hu» 
man  nature,  created  this  restriction.  They  imposed 
a  necessity  for  the  substitution  of  Messiah  in  the 
room  of  sinners,  if  ever  they  were  to  be  saved  in 
consistency  with  rigliteousness.  Who  could  have 
restored  innocence  to  millions  of  beings,  polluted 
and  guilty  as  are  the  sons  of  men,  if  Messiah  had 
not  done  it?  Who  could  have  sustained  the  wrath 
of  the  Almighty,  overwhelming  as  we  have  witnes- 
sed it  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  if  Messiah 
had  not  done  it?  Who  could  have  stood  guiltless 
under  the  fearful  desertion  of  God's  Holy  Spirit^ 
as  was  exemplified  when  Messiah  hung  upon  the 
cross,  unless  himself  had  done  it? 

And  yet  all  these  things  were  indispensable  to 
the  salvation  of  every  human  being.  What  says 
the  law?  ^^The  wages  of  sin  is  death:'^  ^^the  soul 
that  sinueth  it  shall  die.^-     Such  are  the  declara- 

R 


180  Messiah^ s  Message, 

tions  of  the  scriptures.  It  is  surely,  then,  no  ex 
travagant  assumption  to  take  it  for  granted  in  tho 
face  of  a  Christian  congregation  that  this  is  the  law 
of  God.  We  receive  the  bible  as  the  annuncia- 
tion of  his  will;  and  thus  the  bible  has  it.  Admit 
then  for  a  moment  the  correctness  of  those  who  in 
raising  high  their  paeans  to  the  divine  supremacy, 
think  they  do  Grod  service  while  asserting  his  com- 
petency to  relax  or  remit  the  penalty  of  his  laws  at 
pleasure;  and  mark  what  follows. 

1 .  You  suppose  that  goodness  may  often  dictate 
the  remission  of  the  penalty  which  righteousness 
and  sovereignty  had  attached  to  every  crime.  Then 
does  it  follow  that  the  exercise  of  God's  goodness 
being  in  every  such  case  incompatible  with  the  dic- 
tates of  the  law  he  had  promulged,  the  law  must  be 
abrogated  that  goodness  may  have  its  sweep.  God 
has  in  wisdom,  God  has  in  righteousness,  promulg- 
ed  a  law,  ordained  a  penalty,  against  which  his 
goodness  lifts  up  its  protestations.  And  the  law 
must  be  for  the  moment  virtually  rescinded,  the 
penalty  of  righteousness  must  not  be  exacted,  that 
goodness  may  triumph  in  the  deliverance  of  the  vic^ 
tim.  Now  to  what  conclusions  would  this  assump- 
tion lead,  with  reference  to  the  character  of  the  De- 
ity himself?  Evidently  to  these,  among  a  variety 
of  others:  that  the  divine  administration  is  far  from 
lieing  perfect;  that  the  divine  wisdom  is  by  nd 
means  unimpeachable;  that  the  divine  righteous- 
ness is  not  maintained  inviolate.     Would  you  call 


Messiahs  Message.  131 

iliat  administration  perfect,  which  must  be  inces- 
santly merging  or  violating  in  point  of  fact  some 
one  of  the  principles  on  which  it  is  avowedly  car- 
ried on?  Would  you  call  those  constitutions  wise, 
which  it  is  held  wise  and  good  for  their  very  au- 
thor to  trample  under  foot?  Would  you  call  that 
decision  righteous,  which  violates  every  provision 
of  a  professedly  righteous  law? 

S.  If  God  may  release  or  remit  at  pleasure  the 
penalty  of  his  law — if  he  may  do  so,  if  h®  does  do 
so — then  it  also  follows  that  for  the  better  govern- 
ment of  his  creatures  he  has  established  an  order 
that  reflects  very  little  credit  on  his  sincerity.  ^^He 
is  of  one  mind,  and  who  can  turn  him?'^  Conse- 
quently he  is  held  guilty  of  publishing  threatenings 
which  he  never  intended  to  execute  in  any  of  those 
cases  in  which  the  penalty  is  remitted.  He  has 
therefore  chosen  to  resort  to  a  system  of  empty 
threatenings,  and  of  inefficient  ordinances  for  the 
liETTER  GOVEiiNMENT  of  liis  wide  creatiou.  No; 
not  for  the  government  of  the  whole  creation:  be- 
cause all  that  is  inanimate,  all  that  is  least  impor- 
tant, in  itself  considered,  is  governed  by  immutable 
law.  It  is  in  the  case  of  the  moral  and  intelligent 
creation  that  he  adopts  this  less  dignified  and  less 
perfect  form  of  rule.  And  does  it  involve  no  im- 
peachment of  the  divine  perfections  to  brand  with 
insincerity  the  character  of  the  Most  High?  Is  it 
in  nothing  derogatory  to  the  glory  of  his  character 
to  impute  to  him  these  devices  for  the  government 


iB&  Messiah^s  Message. 

of  his  creatures  which  always  reflect  dishonor  eveti 
on  human  beings?  if  in  them  it  testifies  imbecility, 
as  well  as  insincerity^  what  does  it  testify  when 
found  in  the  Supreme? 

S.  Finally,  what  is  to  be  said  for  the  honour  of 
God's  truth,  if  the  penalty  is  in  any  case  remitted  in 
the  way  supposed.  Nothing  can  be  said  for  it. 
He  ceases  to  govern  the  universe  in  truth,  if  he  says 
that  he  will  inflict  the  penalty  of  sin,  and  yet  does 
not  inflict  it. 

No.  '*Let  God  be  true,  and  every  man  a  liar.'^ 
If  death  bfe  once  announced  as  the  penalty  of  sin, 
sooner  shall  the  glory  of  creation  wither,  sooner 
shall  Tophet  become  so  *^deep  and  large''  as  to 
embosom  this  whole  universe,  than  the  Creator  will 
forfeit  the  honours  of  his  truth  or  tarnish  the  lustre^ 
of  eternal  righteousness.  Shall  he  who  made  cre- 
ation with  a  word,  he  who  produced  it  to  display 
his  glory — shall  he  be  so  unwise,  so  unskilful,  so 
misguided,  as  to  let  creation  work  the  disappoint- 
ment of  his  plan!  the  perdition  of  his  glory!  Athe- 
ism, blank  atheism  were  wisdom  and  piety,  compar- 
ed with  such  a  thought.  It  might  not,  could  not 
be.  "It  BEHOVED  Christ  to  suffer:"  to  endure  that 
very  death  which  is  the  penalty  of  sin;  the  sorrows 
that  shook  him  as  he  passed  the  brook  of  Kedron, 
the  agonies  that  bowed  him  when  he  fell  prostrate 
in>  the  garden,  the  horrors  that  overwhelmed  him 
when  he  cried  out  ^opoii  the  cross^  or  '^Ihe  wages 


Messiah^s  Message.  133 

of  sin'^  had  nev  er  been  exacted:  the  hope  of  salva- 
tion had  been  a  stranger  to  our  race. 

It  were  easy  to  arrive  at  a  similar  conchisioii  in 
relation  to  that  positive  righteousness  as  well  as 
perfect  innocence,  to  which  alone  the  recompense  of 
life  belongs,  and  which  never  has  been  exhihited 
on  earth,  but  in  the  life  of  him  who  ^Mid  no  sin,'^ 
and  who  accounted  it  even  more  than  his  meat  and 
drink  to  do  his  Father's  will.  And  it  were  easj 
to  demonstrate  that  we  arrive  at  no  more  solid  foun- 
dation for  our  hope,  by  rejecting  that  sacred  page 
which  reveals  alike  the  law  that  condemns  and  the 
deliverer  who  redeems  us  ^^from  the  curse  of  the 
law.''  View  the  matter  as  you  will,  one  truth  re- 
mains undeniable:  it  is  necessary  to  a  government 
absolutely  perfect,  that  it  be  administered  in  all 
cases  without  respect  of  persons;  and  that  the  award 
be  in  every  case  precisely  the  thing  that  righteous- 
tiess  itself  would  dictate.  But  the  blessings  of  the 
innocent  can  never  be  assigned  even  to  the  penitent 
transgressor,  without  involving  some  respect  of  per- 
sons! nor  can  the  meed  of  guilt  be  ever  withheld  in 
mercy,  without  the  glaring  violation  of  the  dictates 
of  righteousness. 

But  our  object  this  afternoon  is  not  so  much  to 
make  out  the  impossibility  of  salvation  in  any  other 
way  than  by  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  to  shew 
you  how  readily  you  may  yourselves  obtain  ^^re*- 
pe-Uance  and  remission  of  sins"  by  that  new  and 
living  way.     Of  the  sufficiency  of  the  Saviour  his 


iM  Messiah^ s  Message, 

resurrection  is  the  pledge.  For  if  it  were  indis* 
pensable  that  he  should  bow  his  head  in  death,  ill 
as  much  as  death  is  the  penalty  of  human  trans- 
gression; ^^it  behoved  him"  also  ^^to  rise  from  th6 
dead/'^  when  the  penalty  was  exhausted,  in  order 
that  all  men  might  have  assurance  of  the  fact  of  the 
exhaustion,  and  see  that  ^«death  hath  no  more  do- 
minion over  him."  He  remained  sealed  up  in  the 
house  appointed  for  the  children  of  mortality  so 
long  as  was  necessary  to  give  assurance  of  his  ac- 
tual decease:  and  that  end  answered,  he  must  no 
longer  slumber;  he  must  ^"'rise  from  the  dead.^^ 

IT.  It  is  well,  my  dear  friends,  that  we  need 
not,  at  this  time,  devote  many  moments  of  our  at- 
tention  to  the  second  part  of  this  discourse.  You 
have  often  heard  from  this  place  that  ^^Grod  is  in 
Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself,  not  im- 
puting unto  men  their  trespasses:"  and  it  is  this 
circumstance  that  lays  the  whole  of  the  foundation 
for  that  ^ ^repentance  toward  Grod  and  faith  toward 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ"  which  we  have  it  in  com- 
mandment from  the  Saviour  to  enjoin.  What 
would  it  avail  that  you  have  pondered  so  intently 
that  great  and  di^adful  day  iti  which  ^^the  dead, 
small  and  great,"  shall  stand  before  Jesus  Christ: 
what  would  avail  the  fearful  sights  you  witnessed 
m  that  dark  region  where  hope  is  a  stranger,  and 
happiness  a  shadow,  only  to  be  remembered  as  a 
shndow  that  once  had  been:  what  would  it  avail 
tliat  you  wandered  for  an  hour  among  those  seats  of 


Messiah's  Message.  135 

bliss^  where  ^^glory,  liouoiir  and  immortality"  are 
found,  free  as  the  air  and  diffused  like  the  light  of 
heaven:  what  would  it  avail  that  you  weighed  these 
opposite  destinies  in  the  balance  of  eternity,  and 
stood  aghast  while  your  eye  took  measure  of  the 
beam — that  beam  so  great  and  dreadful— that, 
mighty  as  it  is,  seemed  to  bend  beneath  the  weight 
of  these  amazing  destinies: — what  advantage  could 
possibly  result  from  your  attention  or  from  m}^ 
painful  labours,  if  the  story  of  Messiah's  life  and 
sufferings  has  no  more  bearing  on  your  life  and  des- 
tinies than  any  other  ^^tale  of  the  olden  time ''?  Biit 
the  gospel  of  salvation  is  not  merely  a  tale  of  won- 
der. It  is  designed,  it  is  calculated,  to  bear  most 
powerfully  on  the  lives  of  human  beings;  and  wher- 
ever it  is  proclaimed  it  will  infallibly  alter,  eithei5 
for  the  better  or  for  the  worse,  the  everlasting  con- 
dition of  every  one  who  hears  it. 

The  first  thing  we  are  commissioned  to  proclaim 
to  the  nations  in  the  name  of  him  who  was  crucified 
at  Jerusalem,  is  ^^repentance  toward  God/'  By 
repentance  you  are  not  to  understand  merely  thai 
sorrow  and  regret  for  past  offences  to  which  in 
common  colloquy  we  restrict  the  application  of  ilm 
word;  but  rather  that  complete  and  universal 
change  in  the  objects  of  our  pursuit,  in  the  tempers 
of  our  mind,  and  in  the  tone  of  our  feelings,  which 
of  right  ought  to  spring  from  clear  apprehension*- 
of  eternal  things  when  presented  as  objects  certain 
ly  and  readily  attainable  through  the  faith  of  Jesus 


186  Messiahs  Message. 

Christ.  If  our  lot  had  been  cast  in  any  land  of 
paganism  where  the  honour  due  to  God  is  lavished 
on  every  idol,  and  w^here  ^^an  horror  of  thick  dark- 
ness" settles  on  the  grave  and  on  all  beyond  the 
grave;  then  it  would  be  in  some  sort  reasonable  to 
limit  all  our  wishes  to  the  present  life,  and  to  square 
our  conduct  by  maxims  altogether  worldly.  And 
favored  as  we  are  with  the  light  of  revelation,  if  it 
taught  us  nothing  more  than  to  recognize  the  being 
and  to  acknowledge  the  authority  of  ^'the  only  true 
God/^  or  if  it  brought  to  our  knowledge  the  salva- 
tion of  Messiah  as  a  blessing  with  which  many  of 
our  friends  and  neighbours  were  to  be  crowned,  but 
in  which  we  ourselves  had  no  prospect  of  a  share; 
then,  the  Apostle  Paul  being  judge,  it  would  still 
be  good  philosophy,  *4et  us  eat  and  drink^  for  to- 
morrow we  die.'^  But,  surely,  if  we  announce  to  you 
a  common  salvation;  if  we  are  the  heralds  of  a  Re- 
deemer who  <^^is  able  to  save  them  to  the  uttermost 
that  come  unto  God  by  him;"  if  ^^tliere  is  none  oth- 
er name  under  heaven  given  among  nien  whereby 
we  must  be  saved,"  so  that  your  only  hope  of 
safety  lies  in  attacking  yourselves  to  him;  and  if 
BO  degree  of  ignorance  or  guilty  no  circumstances  of 
age,  or  youth,  or  infancy,  no  one  thing— no  many 
things  that  ingenuity  itself  could  conjure  up,  de- 
bar you  from  applying;  then  it  is  folly  to  hesitate, 
it  is  madness  to  delay.  You  should  "refenii^^ 
change  all  your  views  and  feelings  and  plans  in  re- 
lation to  the  great  question  of  yoyr  happiness:  and^ 


Mpssiali^s  Message.  i3J 

^^'seeking  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  right-^ 
cousncss,'^  cast  yourselves  at  once,  like  the  blind 
and  the  lepers  and  the  lame  in  Israel,  at  the  feet  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

But  far  be  it  from  us  to  exclude  from  the  idea  of 
that  repentance  which  is  thus  to  be  proclaimed,  iii 
the  Saviour  s  name,  among  all  nations,  any  of  those 
feelings  of  regret  or  compunction  that  spring  up 
naturally  in  a  heart  once  more  made  **right  with 
God.^^  All  such  feelings,  however,  are  of  sponta- 
neous growth.  We  cannot  feel  because  we  deem 
it  to  be  our  duty  to  feel:  we  cannot  compel  the  cur- 
rent of  the  affections.  The  attempts  so  often  made 
to  create  these  feelings  of  compu  ction  and  regret, 
us  a  mere  matter  of  propriety  and  duty,  are  worse 
than  idle;  they  are  absolutely  hurtful.  That  kind- 
ly flowing  of  the  heart,  that  just  and  keen  self- 
reproach  which  it  is  proper  we  should  feel  because 
^e  are  offenders,  is  only  to  be  expected  as  the  re- 
sult of  confidence  restored  between  us  and  our  Cre* 
ator.  So  long  as  we  fear  him  with  a  slavish  fear^ 
so  long  as  we  do  not  love  him  with  child-like  ten- 
derness, the  ingenuous  sorrow  of  a  repentant  child 
is  not  to  be  expected  from  us.  It  is  not  in  nature 
that  we  should  regret  the  offence  in  any  other  point 
of  light  than  as  it  exposes  us  to  danger.  It  is  not 
in  nature  that  we  should  even  hate — indeed  tliat 
we  should  not  father  love — the  offence  that  may 
have  exposed  us,  if  we  have  found  happiness  in  it, 
and  have  known  nothing  of  happiness  in  the  way 

S 


iSS  Messiah's  Message, 

of  righteousness  and  in  the  fellowship  of  God.  To 
attempt  therefore  in  the  first  instance  to  cultivate 
such  feelings  as  a  matter  of  duty,  and  with  a  view 
to  render  our  application  acceptable  to  the  Saviour^ 
is  to  begin  at  the  wrong  end.  It  is  our  sinfulness, 
not  our  penitence,  that  renders  us  fit  objects  of  his 
notice;  he  is  himself  '^exalted  to  give  repentance 
as  well  as  forgiveness  of  sins^'^*  and  it  is  the  bur- 
den of  this  message  which  we  are  to  deliver  in  his 
name  that  you  come  to  him  for  every  proper  feeling, 
come  to  him  for  repentance,  as  well  as  for  pardon 
and  eternal  life.  Let  the  conscience  once  be 
sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ;  hear  him 
once  say  to  you,  ^son,  daughter,  be  of  good  comfort, 
thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee;^  learn  to  know  the  good- 
ness and  tenderness  against  which  you  have  tres- 
passed; learn  to  scan  your  follies  in  the  light  which 
is  shed  by  the  hope  of  life  eternal;  let  love — the 
love  of  God,  sit  in  judgment  on  your  trespasses; 
and  then  you  will  be  sorry  for  them,  and  abhor 
yourself,  and  repent  in  dust  and  ashes.  But  to 
attempt  the  cultivation  of  such  ingenuous  feelings 
as  ?  preparative  to  your  application  to  the  Saviour, 
is  to  attempt  a  thing  impossible.  These  are  feel- 
ing that  never  consort  with  apprehension  or  dis~ 
may.  It  is  kindness  that  generates  them,  not 
eteiiui)  judgment:  it  is  high  and  hallowed  hope  and 
lieaven-descended  peace  that  foster  them,  and  not 
g():uling  anguish  or  haggard  desperation. 

'^^cts  v.  31. 


Messiah^ 3  Message..  iSg 

}^or  are  the  inducements  to  repentance,  in  the 
former  acceptation  of  that  word,  less  strong;  nor 
does  it  flow  less  naturally  from  an  hearty  compli- 
ance with  the  Redeemers  message.  If  lie  has 
given  commandment  to  the  nations  to  change  their 
views,  their  feelings,  their  pursuits;  he  has  accom- 
panied the  mandate  with  reasons  that  commend 
themselves  to  every  understanding,  and  with  in- 
ducements which  if  rightly  weighed  must  deter- 
mine the  choice  of  every  heart.  It  is  not  our  pres- 
ent business  to  detail  to  you  these  reasons  and  in- 
ducements.  They  are  to  be  found  in  all  you  have 
iieard  of  judgment,  of  future  misery  and  happiness, 
and  of  eternity  with  all  its  revolutions.  They  are 
to  be  found  in  that  other  portion  of  Messiah's  mes- 
sage in  which  he  tenders  to  the  nations  the  remis- 
sion of  their  sins. 

This  proclamation  of  pardon  to  the  nations,  in- 
dividually, universally,  is  grounded  on  the  all-suf- 
fif^iency  of  the  Redeemer's  obedience  and  sacrifice. 
The  principle  on  which  the  paidon  is  communica- 
ted, and  the  way  in  which  aloae  we  can  success- 
fully apply  for  it,  are  of  course  to  be  learned  no 
where  but  in  the  volume  Which  contains  the  mes- 
sage; inasmuch  as  the  persons  who  were  first  charg- 
ed with  the  delivery  of  it  have  long  since  disap- 
peared from  the  walks  of  men.  The  principle  on 
which  forgiveness  is  offered  '^'in  the  name''  of  Jesus^ 
^^to  every  creature"  is  often  stated,  especially  in 
»he  writings  of  the  Apostle  Paul:  and  (he  ^Tianncr 


140  Messiahs  Messa^e^ 

of  its  application  more  ti>an  once  illustrated  by  aft 
example  of  which  all  nations  daily  feel  the  reality 
and  power:  *'as  by  one  man's  disobedience  many 
were  made  sinners;  so  by  tlie  obedience  of  one  si:all 
many  be  made  righteous*''*  Our  iirst  Father  stood 
the  federative  head  of  this  great  system;  and  the 
whole  waj"ld  takes  the  character  of  its  destinies 
from  him.  The  first  offence,  small  as  it  may  ap- 
pear^ considered  in  itself,  and  limited  as  were  its 
more  immediate  ejfects,  yet,  like  some  mortal  poi- 
son introduced  into  the  veins,  corrupted  the  whole 
ijiass.  Extend  or  modify  the  system  as  you  will, 
let  its  mass  be  augmented  a  thousand  or  ten 
thousand  fold,  you  only  extend  the  limits  through 
which  the  poison  may  takes  its  range;  you  augment 
its  quantit;y;  you  increase  its  virulence.  The  mul- 
tiplication of  men,  we  know,  does  not  lessen  tlieir 
depravity,  nor  diminish  their  responsibility  on  the 
score  of  -^the  sin  original."  The  full  effect  of  the 
first  offence  comes  down  on  every  person;  and  eve- 
ry one  sustains  the  total  of  the  guilt.  And  it  is  in 
the  commencement  of  their  being,  and  in  conse- 
quence of  their  connexion  with  the  father  of  our 
race,  that  they  become  sharers  in  the  taint  of  the  all- 
pervading  poison;  and  in  the  guilt  which  gave  ii. 
range. 

E?:act!y    so,    says   our  Apostle,  does  Messiah's 
solvation  operate.     He  tuo  is  constituted  a  federa- 

fjtiom,  Y,  19. 


•  Messiah- 8  Message,  4.4)1 

tive  head:  he  is  the  second  Adam.  He  lias  obey- 
ed tiie  law;  he  bus  endured  (Ik*  penalty:  and  now  he 
invites  into  union  with  himself  all  who  are  wearei** 
of  the  common  nature.  His  own  holiness  shall  be 
as  efficient  to  purify  and  save,  as  was  the  pollntioa 
of  (iiir  lirst  father  to  corrupt  and  destroy.  *  nd  the 
merit  of  his  obedience  and  the  efficacy  of  his  blood- 
shall  come  down  undivided  on  every  soul  tiiat 
cleaves  tc»  liim,  on  every  member  of  his  body,  as 
-guilt  lirst  de>cended  on  every  soul  of  man  who  tca- 
-ces  his  existence  up  to  tlie  first  transgressor. 

But  in  order  that  the  forgiveness  and  sanctitj 
may  reach  you,  you  must  become  a  member  of 
Messiah's  body,  a  portion  of  the  system  wMch  lie 
heads.  It  is  to  this  end  we  are  jcommissioiied  lo 
proifer  pardon  **in  his  name,"  and  to  proffer  it  ^^io 
all  nations.'^  We  ai*e  not  authorized  to  say,  arid 
we  i!o  not  undertake  to  say,  to  an 3^  creature  u^der 
heaven,  that  this  forgiveness  is  already  theirs^  or 
that  the  Saviour  died  for  them.  But  we  are  abun- 
dantly authorized  to  say  that  lie  died  for  that  greai; 
assemblage  of  which  he  is  called  the  head;  that  hi^' 
merits  come  down  upon  them  as  his  own  children^ 
precisely  as  Adam's  guilt  and  misery  come  dowji 
upon  hU  children;  and  that  if  we  will  unite  ourselves' 
in  the  way  of  his  appointment  wltlt  the  assemblage 
which  he  heads,  his  merits  shall  cover  ii%  jshall 
cover  every  creature,  as  corruption  covers  and  deatJi 
pervades  the  still  increasing  mass  connected  with 
.the  first  Adam;  or  as  the  merits  of  the  SayiDur  cor- 


ki^  Mes8ia¥d  Mes^agPi 

er  those  who  are  now  his  people.  We  are  authot* 
ized  to  say  ^^to  every  creature"  that  the  merits  of 
fhe  Saviour  are  sufficient  for  them  all;  that  he  is 
4abundantly  able  to  extend  salvation  to  them  all;  and 
that  all  are  equally  strangers  to  him  and  his  salva- 
tion, till  they  become  united  to  him  by  the  Spirit  of 
his  grace.  We  are  authorized  to  say  to  every 
creature  that  no  one  is  admitted  to  share  this  great 
salvation  on  the  ground  of  their  names  having  al- 
ways had  a  place  in  the  covenant  of  God's  peacc;^ 
an^l  that  no  one  is  prevented  from  sharing  in  this 
blessing  on  the  ground  that  no  covenant  provision 
is  made  in  their  behalf:  but  that  all  who  inherit, 
do  so  on  the  ground  of  their  union  with  him  with 
whom  the  covenant  stands  fast,  and  are  then  and 
not  till  then  known  as  parties  in  that  covenant 
when  one  with  him  who  was  originally  a  paHy; 
and  that  all  who  are  now  ^^strangers  from  the  cove- 
nants of  promise"'  may  be  made  parties  to  it  too  by 
a  similar  union  with  the  living  head. 

It  is  idle,  then,  and  a  great  deal  worse  than  idle* 
to  be  eternally  holding  back  from  the  fountain  of 
Israel,  and  perplexing  yourselves  with  those  crude 

^/and  erroneous  metaphysical  discussions  which  so 
laboriously  confound  the  declared  plans  and  secret 
purposes  of  God;  the  constitutions  he  ordains  for 
the^  government  of  his  creatures,  and  the  results  he 
intends  producing  by  the  operation  of  those  consti- 
tutions.    He  has  sketched  the  plan  on  which  alone 

'"  lie  will  compass  the  salvation  of  any  sinful  niaU;;^ 


Messiah- s  Message,  i^^ 

he  authorizes  salvation  to  be  proffered  to  all,  to  ht 
proffered  in  the  name  of  Jesus;  and  he  makes  it 
plain  in  many  ways  that  his  plan  is  fully  adequate 
to  compass  the  salvation  of  all  to  whom  he  offers  it- 
What  more  would  you  have?  Assurance  that  your 
name  is  already  enrolled  on  the  list  of  those  whf 
are  in  covenant  with  God?  He  has  not  said  so» 
He  has  no  where  said  that  any  name  is  appended 
to  that  instrument,  that  any  mortal  is  a  party  to  that 
covenant,  who  is  not  at  the  same  time  one  with  Je- 
sus Christ.  He  invites  you  to  become  one  with 
Christ,  that  the  fact  of  your  union  may  interest  you 
in  the  covenant  which  was  made  with  Jesus  Christ, 
If  you  are  in  him,  you  are  in  tiie  covenant  of  his 
peace.  If  you  are  out  of  him,  rest  assured  the  coy- 
enanl  knows  you  not. 

My  dear  friends,  we  are  trifling  with  the  Sav- 
iour vyho  has  sent  us  the  message  of  his  peace,  and 
we  are  trifling  with  all  that  is  precious  in  our 
hopes,  while  we  go  on  in  this  way.  Why  do  you 
stand  crying  'Hhe  time  is  not  yet  com e*— the  time  is 
not  yet  come?'^  Why  do  we  so  often  hear  you 
saying  that  nothing  can  be  done  till  a  change  h 
wrought  from  heaven;  and  that  nothing  remains  foi' 
you  but  to  stand  as  you  are,  and  go  on  a.s  you  am 
going,  till  that  happy  change  take  piac^,  if,  indeed,, 
it  ever  shall  take  place.  If  it  do  not  take  place 
you  are  lost,  as  certainly  as  God  lives.-— But  tell 
nit^!  Would  not  those  lepers  in  Israel  have  been 
fools,  if;  when  they  heard  report  of  Messiah's  worka 


i4if  Messiah^ s  MessUge. 

-of  iiiiglit  and  mercy,  they  had  hesitated  to  apply  fe 
him,  on  a  similar  principle?  Would  not  the  para- 
lytic and  the  lame  have  played  the  fool,  if,  when 
Messiah  said  to  them  '^stretch  forth  thine  hand,'^ 
or  ^^rise  and  make  thy  hed/'  they  had  argued,  as 
you  do,  from  their  own  weakness,  and  refused  to 
make  the  trial?  Never  then  had  leper  heen  cleans- 
ed in  IsraePs  coasts;  and  never  had  the  helpless 
been  restored  to  wonted  strength.  Is  it  from  the 
word  of  God  yon  learn  that  "the  time  is  not  yet 
come^^?  The  Saviour  says  *'To-day."  He  nev- 
er tells  you  of  to-morrow.  The  Saviour  pledges^ 
liis  own  might:  he  lays  no  stress  upon  your  w  eak- 
ness.  He  bids  you  come  at  once:  not  stay  till  yoa 
liave  acquired  repentance,  or  earned  some  claim  to 
the  remission  of  your  sins.  He  is  exalted,  say  the 
scriptures,  "a  prince  and  a  Saviour;  to  give  repen- 
tance to  Israel  and  forgiveness  of  sins:''^  and  you 
are  to  come  to  him  for  these  as  for  every  other 
thing.  He  has  promised  the  gift  of  his  Holy  Spirit 
to  those  who  ask  him:  and  you  are  to  solicit  that 
gift  as  well  as  every  other  thing.  He  bids  you 
come  to  him  to-day,  he  is  calling  you  every  day, 
3ie  is  stretching  forth  iiis  hand  all  the  day  and  cal- 
ling you:  and  it  is  madness  in  yon  to  say  that  ^^the 
time  is  not  j^V^ 

It  is  thus  we  proclaim  ^^repentance  anw  remissioe 
fif  sins,  in  Messiah's  name,  among  all  nations.'' 
And  if  anyone  be  found  of  us  vj\\o  thinks  his  t'me 
is  not  yet  conic.  If  any  c^ne  be  fcznd  %vhf?  tUiaks  Im. 


Messiahs  Message.  i4j§t 

tian  never  obtain  an  interest  in  the  Saviour,  vi^e  ar- 
rest the  erring  footsteps  of  the  first;  we  gather  the 
outcasts  from  "the  highways  and  the  hedgesj'^  and 
we  'kjompel  them  to  come  in/^     For 

in.  This  '^gospel  of  the  kingdom"  is  to  be  pro- 
daimed  '^among  all  nations.'^  Or,  as  we  have  it 
still  more  emphatically  stated  in  the  conclusion  of 
the  gospel  by  Mark,  salvation  by  Jesus  (  brist  is  to 
be  offered  to  "every  creature."  Of  all  things  con- 
nected with  the  gospel  of  salvation,  tiiis  is  the  arti«^ 
cle  we  are  most  backward  to  believe.  It  is  n(>  dif-* 
ficult  matter  to  become  convinced  of  the  necessity 
for  Messiah's  interposition.  It  is  still  more  easy 
to  believe  that  he  is  fully  able  to  accomplish  in  eve*. 
ry  case  every  thing  that  he  proffers  to  do  for  the 
perisjbing  nations.  And  it  is  with  readiness  we  con- 
cede that  his  arm  has  been  frequently  and  success^ 
fully  stretched  forth  for  the  deliverance  of  many  of 
our  fellow-men — even  of  multitudes  whom  we  per- 
sonally know.  But  to  admit  his  readiness  to  save 
ourselves,  even  when  we  concede  his  ability  to  do 
it;  to  believe  that  even  now  he  is  stretching  fortU 
his  hands  and  declaring  that  he  is  ready  to  grant 
us  his  salvation;  to  believe  that  we  may  come  to 
him  exactly  as  we  are,  unsanctified,  unjustified, 
*^with  all  our  imperfections  oii  our  heads,"  and  re- 
ceive without  any  previous  amendment  or  desert  of 
our  own,  all  that  is  comprised  in  his  eternal  salva- 
tion; these  things  we  are  not  disjpoged  to  credit^j 

T 


146  Messiah^s  Message, 

And  thus  we  stay  away  from  the  fountain  he  has 
opened^  and  so  are  never  washed;  and  thus  refuse 
the  prescription  of  the  great  physician,  and  so  are 
never  healed. 

Did  they  who  crucified  him,  and  shook  their 
heads  in  scorn,  do  so?  Did  the  myriads  of  the  Gen- 
tiles, who  embraced  at  the  first  word  the  gospel  of 
salvation,  calculate  in  this  style?  Are  you  then  wi- 
ser than  they  were?  Or  rather  do  you  think  the 
prospect  of  salvation  less  certain  and  encouraging 
than  was  presented  by  the  Saviour  to  those  who 
first  embraced  it? — To  whom?  Say,  to  whom? — 
Hear  the  message  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  has  sent  it 
to  all  nations.  A.nd  that  all  nations  might  have  as- 
surance of  his  readiness  to  save  them,  he  fixed  up- 
on Jemsalem  as  the  spot  where  the  communication 
of  these  glad  tidings  should  commence.  "Preach/^ 
said  he,  ^^repentance  and  remission  of  sin  in  my 
NAME  among  all  nations,  BEGINNING  AT  JE- 
RUSiLEM.'' 

And  who  that  reads  the  Bible  cannot  tell  how 
very  unworthy  was  the  city  of  Jerusalem  of  such 
distinguished  mercy  1  Jerusalem  had  been  cho- 
sen at  an  early  period  as  the  site  of  God's  own  tem- 
ple, the  place  to  which  all  the  tribes  of  Israel  must 
come  up  to  worship  him.  Jerusalem  had  been 
favored  with  means  df  instruction  more  extensive, 
varied,  and  steadily  prolonged,  than  any  other  spot 
in  Palestine,  or  in  the  world.  Jerusalem  had  been 
distinguished  by  many  great  deliverances,  when 
a,U  the  plains  were  desolated,  and  the  villages  and 


MessiaWs  Message.  147 

oilier  cities  had  been  left  to  smoke  in  ruin.  Jerit- 
SALEM  was  the  point  to  which  Priests  and  I  ro- 
phets  gathered,  and  to  which  the  mighty  Saviour 
directed  his  chief  efforts. 

Yet  Jerusalem,  thus  pre-eminent  in  distinctions 
and  privileges,  stqod  still  more  pre-eminent  in  the 
impieties  which  defiled  her.  Rarely  had  it  hap- 
pened, in  the  history  of  the  church,  that  the  idols  of 
the  heathen  usurped  the  honors  of  AlmightyGod,  but 
W\2iim  Jerusalem i\\^  idolatry  began.  Rarely  did  it 
happen  Uiat  self-styled  prophets  misled  the  self- 
willed  people,  but  tliat  Jerusalem  stood  foremost 
tb  support  them  in  the  wrongs  and  in  the  citij 
of  Jerusalem  they  Ibund  a  welcome  home.  Never 
did  it  happen  that  malice  sought  and  cruelty  was 
glutted  with  the  blood  of  a  true  prophet^  but  the 
city  of  Jerusalem  was  made  the  scene  of  slaugh- 
ter.^ And  if  ever  truth  has  fallen  in  the  streets,  if 
ever  the  barred  gates  hindered  equity  from  entering; 
Jerusalem  was  the  city  in  whose  streets  the  truth 
has  fallen,  the  gates  of  Jerusalem  were  barred  a- 
gainst  all  equity,  her  priesthood  and  her  magistracy 
trampled  on  all  law.  When  ^^the  hope  of  Israel'^ 
came  to  sliew  salvation  to  the  nation,  the  villrTos 
were  glad,  the  towns  received  him  rheerfully,  the 
^^fields  and  every  tree  rejoiced''  at  t  e  :u'esence  of 
Messiah:  but  when  he  expounded  his  g.)spel  in  flia 
city  of  Jerusalem  the  scribes  and  the  p^iicsthood 

Liike  xiil.  33. 


i4}8  Messiahs  Message, 

withstood  him  to  the  face:  when  he  vaised  up  the; 
dead  in  the  neighborhood  of  Jerusalem,  they  re- 
garded it  as  good  reason  for  compassing  hi-  des- 
truction:* and  at  length,  wJien  he  entered  that  v  ty 
for  the  last  time,  it  was  the  simple  multitude  that 
lifted  high  their  pgeans,  it  was  while  yet  in  the^ 
country  that  they  strewed  the  way  with  branches 
of  the  palm,  and  cried  "hosanna  to  the  son  of  Da- 
vid,''  and  it  was  the  city  of  Jerusalem  that  so  speed-^ 
ily  changed  their  tone*  It  was  Jerusalem  that  in- 
stigated the  giddy  mob  to  cry,  'crucify  him,  crucify 
him.'  It  was  the  people  of  Jerusalem  that  wag* 
ged  their  heads  in  s  orn,  'ah,  thou  that  savedst  oth- 
ers, thou  canst  not  save  thyself.'  And  wlien  at 
last  Messiah  bowed  his  head  in  death,  the  inhabit- 
a'lts  of  the  Villages  raised  their  useless  plaint;  even 
pagan  soldiers  dare  assert  his  innocence;  the  hosts 
of  heaven  stood  mute  in  fearful  expectation;  the 
sun  withdrew  his  light;  earth  trembled  to  her  cen^ 
iter,  all  nature  ''gave  signal  of  the  general  woe:''— 
but  Hell  and  Jerusalem  rejoiced* 

And  who  then  will  suppose  that  Jerusalem  had 
any  title  to  share  in  these  glad  tidings?  Jerusalt  m 
where  alone  the  prophets  of  the  Lord  had  ever 
perished  by  the  hand  of  violence!  Jerusalem  that 
first  abused  then  crucified  the  Saviour!  Yet  he  does 
not  overlook  the  people  of  that  city  because  they 
bad  so  outraged  h  m.  Ue  not  only  transmits  to  them 

fJohn  xL  %^ — ^^3. 


Messiahs  Message.  149 

tliis  message  of  his  peace;  but  he  sends  it  to  them 
first,  and  by  the  earliest  opportunity.  But  it  was 
not  merely  for  their  own  sakes  that  he  did  it.  He 
tliereby  gives  assurance  to  all  people  under  heaven 
Jiow  free  and  how  mighty  is  the  salvation  he  pro- 
claims; when  thus,  in  the  very  outset,  he  makes 
proof  of  its  ei5icacy  on  the  people  oi  Jerusalem,  The 
salvation  to  be  announced  and  to  be  accepted  through 
all  ages,  is  in  every  case  presented  as  a  ^'common 
salvation.^'  Its  efficacy  is  of  course  limited  to  those 
•who  embrace  it.  But  that  efficacy  is  not  doubtful, 
the  operation  is  sure,  upon  all  who  do  embrace  it. 
And  the  warrant  to  lay  hold  upon  this  common 
hope  is  co-extensive  with  the  race  of  man.  There 
is  no  particular  warrant  for  those  who  acce[!>t  the 
offer;  no  particular  exclusion  of  those  who  do  not 
accept:  on  one  and  the  same  ground,  with  equal 
sincerity  and  with  equal  truth,  it  is  tendered  to  '-all 
nations. '^  and  all  Jire  authorised  ( — and  all  who  do 
embrace  it  are  influenced — )  to  embrace  it  upon  that 
general  warranty.  There  was  nothing  then  par- 
ticular in  the  privileges  of  the  Jews:  it  was  Mes- 
mah^s  Message  that  the  Apostles  must  deliver,  that 
very  message  which  we  to-day  announce  to  yoiK 
and  the  inducements  to  regard  it  were  not  to  be 
gathered,  and  in  no  instance  can  be  gathered,  from 
the  superior  dignity  of  the  Apostolic  college,  but 
solely  from  the  truth  and  power  of  him  who  ordain- 
ed it  as  a  message  common  to  all  nations.  Yoia 
fcave  then  the  saiue  warrant — the  very  same — with 


i  50  Messm¥s  Message^ 

the  people  of  Jerusalem.     And  you  have  this  ad- 
ditional encouragemefit  to  believe  the  gospel  and  to 
lift  up  your  appeal  to  the  Almighty  Saviour,  that  he 
first  shewed  the  nations  how  free  is  his  salvation,  by 
making  the  first  tender  to  a  people  so  unworthy; 
and  made  proof  to  all  people  of  the  sincerity  of  his 
heart  and  the  power  of  his  arm,  bj  saving  among  the 
first  his  own  murderers  when  they  cried  to  him. 
Oo  preach,  said  he,  this  gospel;go  offer  to  allnations 
an  inheritance  among  the  sanctified:  and  that  all  na- 
tions may  have  proof  that  it  is  no  idle  proclama- 
tion, that  all  nations  may  appreciate  "the  exceed- 
ing riches  of  the  Father's  grace/'  that  no  depth  of 
depravity,  that  no  enormity  of  guilt,  may  make  any 
doubt  their  warrant   to  lay  hold  on  this  salvation, 
go  preach  this  gospel  "BEGINNING  AT  JERU- 
S  A  LEM."— "Beginning  at  Jerusalem,''  go  tell 
that  foolish  people,  who  so  fearfully  corrupted  the 
economy  of  Moses,  that  I  tender  them  the  honor 
of  becoming  the  first  sharers  in  the  new  and  glori- 
ous privileges  *>f  the  kingdom  of  Messiah: — "Be- 
ginning AT  Jerusalem,"  tell  that  misguided  pea- 
pie,  who  rejected  their  Messiah  when  he  came  so 
meek  and  lowly,  that  I  offer  now  to  rank  them  with 
heaven's  high    principalities,  as    "the   sons   and„ 
daughters  of  the  T.ord   Almiglity:" — "Beginning 
at  Jerusalem,"  tell  that  ungrateful  people,  who 
poured  contempt  on  my  instructions  and  villified 
my  aim,  that  1  offer  them  as  a  teacher  the  omuisr 
<neut  Spirit  of  God:" — "Beginning  at  JERusi- 


Messiah^ s  M?ssage.  151 

LEM,'^  tell  that  despiteful  people,  who  styled  me 
hell's  own  instrument  when  I  bade  foul  spirits  de- 
part from  the  bodies  of  their  brethren,  that  I  tender 
to  them  all  complete  deliverance  from  the  dominion 
of  the  devil; — ^^Beginning  at  Jerusalem,''  tell 
that  unrighteous  people,  who  sought  the  life  of  him 
that  gave  them  back  their  dead,  and  bribed  his  owa 
disciple  to  accomplish  his  undoing,  I  unseal  to  them 
^^without  money"  the  fountain  of  life  eternal,  and 
will  conduct  them  ^'without  price"  to  God's  full 
flood  as  it  gushes  from  his  throne: — ^'Beginning 
AT  Jerusalem,"  go  tell  those  men  of  violence,  who 
drove  me  from  their  temple  and  dragged  me  from 
their  city,  that  1  tender  them  a  seat  in  the  temple 
of  the  skies,  and  fling  wide  to  them  the  gates  of  the 
city  of  my  God: — ''Beginning  at  Jerusalem/^  go 
tell  those  cruel  men,  who  mocked  my  thirst  with 
vinegar  and  my  infamy  with  thorns,  that  for  vine" 
gar  I  bequeath  to  them  ^^the  cup  of  the  New  Test- 
ament/' and  crowns  and  chaplets  for  my  tiara  of 
thorns,  that  they  may  be  rendered  < 'kings  and 
priests  unto  God"  and  to  the  Lamb, 

Such  was  the  message  wiiich  your  own  Messiah 
sent  to  the  city  of  Jerusalem.  How  did  she  rejoicd 
when  the  head  of  God  our  Saviour  was  laid  low  in 
death!  let  all  her  myriads — let  all  her  miscreants — > 
again  rejoice!!  Her  myriads  did  rejoice  at  the  pro- 
clamation of  this  pardon.  By  thousands  upon  thou« 
sands  they  eagerly  accepted  the  water  of  his  bap- 
tism ^ad  tUe  cup  of  his  JS^ew  Testaiaent.    Nor  did 


i51S  Messiahs  Message. 

they  ever  think  of  temporizing  with  their  scruples 
and  their  fears:  nor  did  they  bid  Messiah  wait^, 
Whence  could  they  hope  for  purity  and  strength  to 
maintain  a  consistent  walk,  if  not  from  that  good 
Spirit  whom  the  Saviour  proffers  with  the  water  of 
his  baptism?  What  recommendation  could  they 
liope  for  to  insure  a  good  reception  from  the  God  of 
grace,  if  it  were  not  the  expression  of  their  wish 
for  his  salvation,  in  their  ready  acceptance  of  his 
bread  and  wine,  the  symbols  of  the  grace  and  for- 
giveness which  they  needed?  What  better  proof  of 
the  sincerity  of  their  hearts,  than  their  taking  him 
at  his  wt»rd^  doing  so  without  delay,  and  seeking 
Jiis  salvation  in  the  way  of  his  own  appointment? 
What  surer  pledge  of  fidelity  and  attachment,  thau 
to  obey  without  hesitation  the  commandment  of  the 
Saviour? 

And  you,  my  dear  friends^ — you  see  now  the  ex- 
tent of  Grod's  great  salvation.  Jerusalem  has  shown 
you  how  it  serves  to  cover  the  most  aggravated  of- 
fences. Jerusalem  has  verified  the  ^^truth"  as  well 
as  ^^grace'^  of  the  charter  thus  left  open  for  the  name 
of  ^'every  creature/^  Let  Jerusalem  also  teach  you 
that  you  trifle  with  your  peace,  when  you  put  off 
from  day  to  day,  under  pretence  of  your  unfit- 
ness, what  Messiah's  own  murderers  undertook  at 
once  when  they  received  the  same  assurance  which 
we  now  convey  to  you.  Let  no  one  then  pretend, 
henceforth  and  forever,  that  they  neglect  the  way 
of  life  because  they  know  no  warrant  for  making 


Mesmah^s  Message,  iS^ 

appUcation  to  the  Saviour,  and  must,  at  best,  vt- 
main  uncertain  whether  he  is  willing  to  receive> 
them.  Messiah'sraessage  thus  transmitted  through 
all  ages,  and  heralded  among  all  nations,  is  the  on- 
ly warrant  the  men  of  Jewry  had,  and  the  only 
one  they  sought  for.  Messiah's  message  thus  her- 
alded to  all  nations  affords  an  ample  and  no  doubt- 
ful ground  of  hope — of  more  than  hope,  of  sure  and 
cei^tain  expectation — to  every  creature  that  abides 
by  his  directions.  Messiah's  message  is  as  really 
directed  to  every  one  of  you,  as  to  the  Jews  or  the 
Gentiles  whom  his  own  Apostles  personally  ad- 
dressed. Why  then  do  you  stand  at  a  distance  ais 
if  you  were  uncertain  of  your  right  to  claim  salva* 
tion  from  the  Saviour?  Why  settle  it  in  your 
hearts  that  none  but  a  Christian  has  an  interest  ia 
the  Saviour?  Was  it  to  Christians  alone  that  tlie 
8aviour  gave  commandment  this  message  should 
be  delivered?  Have  you  never  heard  it,  have  you 
aever  read  it  in  the  pages  of  God's  own  word,  that 
to  doubt  whether  this  message  is  directed  to  your- 
self, to  doubt  Messiah's  willingness  or  to  call  in 
question  his  ability  to  save  you — even  you — is  to 
make  God  a  liar?*  What  is  meant  by  the  unbe- 
lief which  brings  down  additional  guilt  and  se?ils 
perdition  on  the  soul,  if  it  be  not  a  calling  in  que-:ti  ju 
the  truth  of  this  very  message?  Let  no  one  suppose 
tbat  to  admit,  and  even  from  the  heart  believe^  th^ 


*1  John  V.  10* 


iS"^  Messiali's  Message, 

inspiration  of  the  scriptures;  and  that  their  testimo- 
ny is  true  in  the  sense  in  which  half  the  world  ad- 
mits their  truth;  is  to  avoid  the  imputation  of  this 
high  offence.  They  testify  something  more,  and 
far  more  interesting,  than  the  general  truth  that 
there  is  salvation  in  Messiah.  They  tell  ^<every 
creature"  that  Messiah  is  their  own  Saviour;  that 
he  is  waiting  to  be  gracious  to  themselves  who 
hear  the  message;  and  that  it  is  their  privilege  and 
duty  at  once  to  bow  to  him  and  accept  his  great 
salvation.  They  do  not  say  to  any  that  they  are 
already  interested  in  the  blood  of  the  atonement  as 
parties  whose  sins  have  been  already  washed  away^ 
while  yet  they  remain  at  a  distance  from  the  Sav- 
iour; but  they  give  assurances  to  all  that  such  an 
interest  may  yet  be  created,  that  the  sins  of  each 
one  may  yet  be  washed  away  in  that  common 
^'fountain''  which  has  been  opened  for  all  fleshy 
and  to  which  all  flesh  are  invited. 

Unbelief  then  may  admit  the  general  truth  of 
scriptnre:  it  only  calls  in  question  the  truth  of 
Messiah's  message  as  delivered  to  the  party  him- 
self. Unbelief  may  admit  the  Saviour's  power  to 
save;  it  only  calls  in  question  the  truth  of  those  as- 
surances which  respect  his  willingness  to  save  the 
party  addressed.  Unbelief  may  admit  the  interest 
^vhich  all  others  have  in  this  great  plan:  it  only 
^  cuts  off  the  party  himself  from  realizing  any  per- 
sonal interest  in  it.  And  thus  it  is  that  unbelief 
makes  God  a  liar.     He  proclaims  his  love  to  this 


Messiah^ s  Message,  153 

great  world  of  ours;  and  points  all  people  to  the 
gift  of  his  own  Son,  in  proof  of  his  love  to  them.* 
They  admit  the  general  truth  that  God  loves  the 
"world  at  large,  but  still  venture  to  question  whether 
that  love  extends  to  them. 

But  we  cannot,  and  we  surely  need  not;,  take  up. 
any  more  of  your  time  in  enforcing  this  great  truth 
that  the  ^message  of  Messiah  is  directed  to  your- 
selves; and  that  the  burden  of  that  message  is 
salvation  for  yourselves.  You  have  seen  the 
ground  on  which  Messiah  tenders  it;  and  you 
have  seen  that  Jews  and  Gentiles  in  the  davs  of 
his  Apostles  embraced  the  proffer  and  inherited  the 
blessrag  without  any  assurance  having  been  fur- 
nished them  more  decided  or  more  distinct  than  is 
now  submitted  to  yourselves.  What  assurance,  in 
fact,  could  he  more  decided  than  this  unconditional 
proffer?  What  could  render  the  assurance  more 
distinct  than  its  being  directed  without  distinction 
to  ^^evcry  creature"'?  It  is  high  time  for  you  to 
act.  You  believe  that  you  stand  chargeable  before 
God  with  many  oiiences.  You  believe  that  **it  be- 
hoved Christ  to  suffer  and  to  rise  from  the  dead,'^ 
in  order  that  salvation  miglit  be  extended  to  every 
creature.  For  yourself,  therefore,  you  believe  that 
there  is  no  hope  of  safety,  unless  it  come  to  you  by 
this  "^new  and  living  way.'^  Is  it  not  then  mad- 
ness in  you  to  trifle  witli  the  great  interests  of  etej^- 


^Jolin  iii.  iO. 


iS6  MessiaVs  Meg^ag^s 

Uity,  wliich  are  so  soon  to  become  the  only  interettis 
of  your  being;  and  from  the  peaceful  seats  of  ZiOU;, 
from  the  very  portals  of  higli  heaven,  to  sink  down 
through  mere  negligence  into  everlasting  death? 
Let  it  be  remembered,  the  Son  of  God  will  not 
iorce  his  deliverance  on  any  one.  He  bids  you 
ask;  and  he  pledges  the  glory  of  his  truth  that  you 
shall  receive.  He  bids  you  flee  to  him  from  the 
temptations  of  the  worlds  and  from  the  plagues  of 
your  own  heart;  and  he  tenders  you  the  pledge,  in 
ihe  seals  of  his  new  covenant,  of  grace  and  strength 
in  proportion  to  your  need.  Why  should  you  ex^ 
pect  these  things,  if  you  disobey  his  word?  if  you 
distrust  his  assurances?  if  you  disapprove  the  way 
which  his  wisdom  has  pointed  out?  or  If  you  doubt 
the  circumspection  that  would  conduct  you  in  that 
way? 

It  is  the  Grod  of  eternity  speaks.  ^^Hear  ye! 
Hear  ye!''-'^Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock: 
if  any  man  hear  my  voice,  and  open  the  door,  I 
will  tome  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he 
With  me^"  Who  among  you  will  regard  Messiah's 
application?  Who  among  you  ^'glis  for  Messiah's 
great  salvation?  ^et  them  remember  that  his  ad- 
dress is  made  to  every  creature:  and  let  every  crea- 
ture lift  up  the  heart  to  him,  and  say,  ^^ComeiHj 
ifinou  blessed  of  tiie  Lord;  eome  in.'^    Smen, 


^HE  NECESSITY  OF  A  CHRISTIATS3' 
PROFESSION. 

^^Tahe  my  yoke  upon  you  mid  learn  of  me;  for  I 
am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart:  and  ye  shall  find  rest 
unto  your  souls  J^  Matth.  xi.  39. 

^^MY  father,  if  the  prophet  had  bid  thee  do  some 
great  things  wouldest  thou  not  have  done  it?  how 
much  rather  then,  when  he  saith  to  thee,  Wash^ 
and  be  clean?^'  Such  was  the  modest  and  sensible 
appeal  urged  by  one  of  the  servants  of  the  Syrian 
chief,  who  having  travelled  into  Palestine  with  the 
hope  of  getting  cured  of  a  loathsome  and  painful 
malady,  was  going  a^vay  displeased  at  the  simpli- 
city of  the  means  he  was  directed  to  attempt.  ^Thc; 
rivers  of  Damascus,'  said  the  disappointed  leper, 
*are  better  than  this  Jordan;  why  should  I  bathe  in 
it?'  And  but  for  the  faithful  and  affectionate  re- 
joapnetrances  of  his  attendaats,  Naaman  had  depart^^ 


15^  The  JVecessity  of 

Od  without  making  trial  of  the  remedy:  Syria  had 
marked  the  melancholy  cavalcade,  as  it  returned 
unblessed:  and  on  the  banks  of  the  Pharpar  that 
great  Syrian  captain  had  pined  away  and  died. 

Often,  my  dear  friwids,  when  we  have  looked  a- 
Found  on  you,  we  have  thought  of  this  moving  and 
instructive  story.  When  I  see  some  of  you  dis- 
tracted with  a  great  variety  of  pursuits  and  cares; 
when  1  see  others  manifesting  even  more  anxiety 
to  preserve  life  than  to  enjoy  it;  when  some  of  those 
who  love  you  make  report  of  the  inquiries  you  so 
©ften  frame,  ^Why  attach  so  much  importance  to 
the  faith  of  Christ?'  'Why  deem  a  profession  of  the 
Christian  Religion  a  thing  so  indispensable?' — it 
is  mine  to  adopt  the  language  of  that  captive  maid 
who  set  on  foot  this  mission.  I  say  '^would  God  my 
friend  were  with  the  prophet  that  is  in  Samaria!  for 
he  would  recover  him  of  his  leprosy:'' — I  say, 
^would  Grod  he  would  listen  to  that  still  greater  pro- 
phet who  has  displayed  his  healing  powers  on  a  far 
movQ  extensive  scale!  he  would  speedily  induce  Iiim 
to  <'seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteous- 
ness:" and  he  would  convince  him  that  it  is  wisdom^ 
the  only  wisdom,  to  seek  them  in  God's  own  way. 

It  was  with  a  view  to  aid  you  in  drawing  these 
conclusions  that  we  summoned  your  attention  to 
thc>ie  stupendous  themes  which  have  for  some  time 
past  engaged  it.  And  the  aim  of  those  dis- 
cussions has  failed  most  unhappily,  if  they  have  not 
produced  a  conviction  deep  and  permanent^  that  an 


A  Christian  Profession.  15^ 

happy  destiny  for  the  eternal  world  is  the  object  of 
prime  importance;  and  that  existence  boasts  no 
blessings,  the  universe  no  charms,  so  long  as  th© 
question  of  our  eternal  destination  is  left  undeter> 
mined.  We  hope,  my  dear  friends,  that  the  eifort 
was  not  fruitless.  We  trust  that  several  of  you 
look  with  increasing  interest  to  the  objects  that 
must  salute  you  when  once  you  shall  have  shuffled 
off  this  mortal  coil.  And  we  believe  there  are  msi- 
ny  of  you,  who  would  not  for  millions  part  with  thfj^ 
hope  that  springs  from  that  single  intimation  of  the 
scriptures,  that  ^^repentance  and  remission  of  sin« 
should  be  preached  in  the  name  of  Jesus  among  all 
nations/' 

And  here  ivas  to  have  terminated  that  earnest  and 
^^last  appeal/^  which  we  had  for  some  time  past 
been  predicating  on  the  dispensations  of  God  to- 
ward the  earlier  patriarchs;  and  to  the  result  of 
which  we  have  constantly  looked  forward  with  no 
little  anxiety.  But  we  cannot  feel  it  right,  under 
existing  circumstances,  to  divert  your  refiections 
and  solicitudes  into  a  new  channel.  We  hear  ma- 
ny of  you  saying,  ^(xod  is  great,  and  great  arether 
destinies  of  his  everlasting  kingdom.'  We  note 
your  concessions  of  the  value  of  christian  hope,  and 
the  importance  of  christian  feeling.  But  we 
see  you  still  standing  back  from  the  fountain  of 
Israel:  we  hear  you  still  inquiring,  ^Where- 
fore  the  necessity  of  avowing  our  allegknce 
to  Oocl  and  his  Mp«;^i?)h?'  '^'bit  are  the  itd- 
vantages  of  tJbiQ  fellowship  of  saints?'    <Why  not 


10  Tlie  JSTecessky  of 

learn  as  rapidly,  why  not  love  as  fervently,  wli^" 
not  obey  as  perfectly,  why  not  be  saved  as  certain- 
ly^ without  as  within  the  limits  of  the  church?' 

Would  God,  my  friends,  you  would  ponder  the 
lesson  taught  you  by  that  prophet  of  Samaria! 
Would  Grod  you  would  hear  our  wiser,  better  pro- 
phet— Elisha's  own  instructor — Elisha's  lord  and 
master!  Soon  would  he  shew  you  the  unreasona- 
bleness of  all  such  questions,  the  fallacy  of  all  such 
hopes.  Would  God  that  risen  Saviour  would  per- 
form for  me  to-day  the  promise  which  he  ut- 
tered just  before  he  left  the  earth!  then  depicting 
in  your  hearing,  luminously  as  we  perceive  it,  and 
strongly  as  we  feel  it,  the  duty  and  necessity  of  u- 
nion  with  the  church,  we  should  hope  not  to  plead 
in  vain  when  we  approached  you  as  those  servants 
approached  the  Syrian  leper,  ^My  father!' — my 
brother! — my  friend!  if  the  Saviour  had  bid  thee 
do  some  great  thing,  wouldest  thou  not  have  done  it? 
how  much  rather  then  when  he  saith  to  thee^  ^^take 
my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me'? 

It  is  the  prescription  of  a  greater  than  the  pro 
phet  Elisha:  and  it  is  for  recovery  from  a  death  far* 
more  painful  and  loathsome  than  that  from  whicU 
the  Syrian  sought  deliverance. — You  have  lieard^ 
^and  you  have  rejoiced  at  it,  that  repentance  and  re- 
mission of  sins  is  to  be  preached  among  all  nations. 
You  know  that  they  are  to  be  proclaimed  in  the^ 
name  of  him  whose  is  the  language  of  my  text.  We. 
pray  you  also  to  remark  it,  that  hft  names  no  other 


Jl  Christian  Tvnfogsion,  ifiki, 

mode  ofconfering  this  salvation  than  that  with  which, 
it  is  our  purpose  to  urge  your  speedy  compliance* 
You  must  take  his  yoke  upon  you.  You  must  be- 
come submissive  to  the  will  and  devoted  to  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Haviour,  as  the  ox  becomes  subject 
when  taught  to  bear  the  yoke. 

We  will  not  detain  you  with  a  labored  proof  of 
a  position  we  deem  self-evident.  Whatever  else 
may  be  involved  in  the  strongly  figurative  express- 
ion, ^'take  my  yoke  upon  you/'  an  open  avowal  of 
our  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  professed  subjectioa 
to  the  regulations  of  that  church  in  which  he  is  ac- 
knowledged lord  and  master,  must,  without  contro- 
versy, be  included  under  it.  He  who  bears  tha 
yoke,  and  much  more  he  who  bears  it  to  good  pur^- 
pose,  must  be  really  and  openly  subject  to  hiipi 
whose  yolte  it  is. 

It  is  to  this  idea,  and  to  this  alone,  we  wish  at 
present  to  direct  your  attention.  The  character  of 
the  **meek  and  lowly''  Saviour  we  are  not  now  ai- 
led upon  to  delineate,  and  much  less  to  vindicate. 
The  nature  and  the  value  of  the  **rest"  he  bestows 
have  been,  in  many  a  form,  submitted  to  your  con- 
sideration. It  will  be  sufficient  if  you  seriously 
ponder  the  requisition  to  take  his  yoke  upon  youj 
to  submit  yourselves  to  his  government  as  the  ruler, 
and  to  his  instructions  as  the  great  prophet  of  the 
church;  in  order  that  you  may  become  sharers  in  the 
^est  he  tenders  you. 

When  we  have  reflected  that  the  world,  to  whicjfe 
V 


jf6S  The  J^ecessity  of 

this  commandment  is  directed^  is  every  wliere  iii 
scripture  represented  as  in  a  helpless  and  perish- 
ing condition:  that  there  never  was  and  never  can 
be  a  prospect  of  deliverance  for  any  creature  under 
heaven,  but  that  which  flows  from  the  interposition 
of  Messiah:  and  that  the  only  way  in  which  he  has 
ever  proffered  or  promised  to  interpose  for  the  eter- 
nal salvation  of  any  individual^  is  precisely  the  one 
referred  to  in  the  text:— then  surely  it  does  not 
seem  unreasonable  to  Infer  that  they  who  are  al- 
ready perishing,  and  refuse  to  seek  salvation  in 
the  way  appointed  by  the  only  Haviour,  must  of 
necessity  lose  the  benefit  of  his  interposition;  and 
must  therefore  perish  as  though  there  had  never 
been  a  Saviour.  That  is,  in  other  words,  if  the 
testimony  of  Jesus  Christ  deserves  consideration, 
there  is  no  ordinary  possibility  of  salvation  with- 
out the  limits  of  the  church  of  God. 

I  know  that  the  statement  of  such  a  sentiment  is 
far  from  flattering  to  those  who  wish  to  be  saved, 
but  in  a  way  and  upon  principles  very  different 
from  those  to  which  the  page  of  inspiration  points 
us.  And  I  expect  to  be  assailed  at  once  with  ques- 
tions from  all  quarters — ^what  then  will  the  hea- 
then  do?'  <what  must  become  of  many  amiable  and 
deserving  people,  who  act  in  a  way  decidedly  su- 
perior to  many  christian  professors,  although  they 
^are  not  of  the  church?'  'Why  do  you  attach  sa 
much  importance  to  mere  externals,  when  every 
body  knows  that  the  essence  of  true  religion  con« 


A  Christian  Profession.  4:6B 

sists  in  the  dispositions  of  the  heart?'  We  have 
not  leisure  to  answer  all  tiiese  questions;  nor  do  we 
deem  an  answer  necessary.  Leave  the  heathen  iu 
the  hands  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  who  has  stooped 
so  low  for  the  salvation  of  our  race,  ought,  one 
w^ould  think,  to  stand  secure  from  the  imputation  of 
tmjust  judgment  in  relation  to  any  creature.  Leave 
the  heathen  to  Jesus  Clicist;  or  it*  your  charity  must 
embrace  them,  let  it  be  an  active  and  laborious 
charity,  the  charity  that  unfolds  to  them  the  ora- 
cles of  truth,  and  makes  their  deserts  bloom. — 
Leave  the  heathen  to  Jesus  Christ;  our  business  is 
with  you — with  you  who  know  that  Saviour  in 
whom  alone  any  creature  under  heaven  can  attain 
salvation;  and  our  proposition  is,  that  for  you  who 
know  the  gospel,  there  is  no  reasonable  prospect 
of  salvation  but  in  connexion  with  the  church  of 
Christ. 

Let  not  this,  my  dear  brethren,  be  accounted  an 
harsh  or  illiberal  declaration.  Not  harsh:  for  if  it 
be  indeed  the  very  truth,  you  ought  not  to  call  it 
harshness  to  state  a  truth  so  intiaiately  connected 
with  your  eternal  welfare.  Not  illiberal:  for  if  it 
be  indeed  the  plan  of  Grod  our  Saviour  to  minister 
salvation  within  the  precincts  of  his  church,  then 
surely  it  is  not  illiberal  to  tell  you  of  his  plan,  and 
to  urge  you  to  seek  God's  great  salvation  in  the 
way  in  which  he  tenders  it.  It  ought  by  you  to  bfe 
deemed  sufficient  that  vou  are  not  left  of  him  with- 
out  hope  of  safety:  it  ought  to  excite  your  warmest 


i64i  The  J\recessity  of 

gi'atitude,  tliat  when  the  God  of  grandeur  passed  hf 
angels,  and  left  them,  though  once  pure  and  hap|iy 
tSpirits  of  heaven, — left  them  to  unavoidable  and 
unutterable  perdition,  he  fixed  his  love  and  pity  up- 
on man,  and  provided  for  his  salvation  at  such  tre- 
mendous cost  as  the  degradation  and  anguish  of  his 
Son  bespeak.  And  now,  let  me  tell  you,  it  ill  be- 
comes you  to  dictate  the  manner  in  which  that  sal^ 
vation  shall  be  confered.  It  is  much  more  becom- 
ing a  guilty  and  ruined  creature  to  accept  it  gladly 
and  to  seek  it  eagerly,  in  whatever  way  the  Sa- 
viour is  pleased  to  tender  it.  4nd  you  have  no 
right  to  complain,  should  you  fail  of  God's  salva- 
tion, bt cause  you  would  not  seek  for  it  hi  the  way 
of  his  appointment. 

My  dear  friends,  it  is  folly  to  trifle  or  demur  a- 
boutthis  matter.  You  must  yourselves  see  clearly 
that  if  infinite  wisdom  has,  fin^  good  and  numerous 
reasons,  establi-  bed  any  law  for  the  regulation,  or 
any  order  for  the  salvation  of  his  creatures;  it  would 
be  the  prostration  of  his  dignity  did  he  suffer  that 
law  to  be  violated  with  impunity;  and  it  would  look 
like  any  thing  but  wisdom  to  dispense  salvation 
without  reference  to  that  order.  If  you  will  not 
bow  to  him,  tell  me,  is  it  fit  that  he  should  bow  to 
you?  If  you  reject  the  counsels  of  infinite  wisdom, 
if  you  spurn  the  dictates  of  his  salutary  law,  when 
expressly  and  exclusively  diiecte  ]  to  your  salva- 
tion^ does  it  look  as  if  you  Vr  ere  fitted  for  an  ea-' 


*5  Christian  Frofessiou.  4.6d 

Usance  on  that  state  to  which  none  but  beings  perfect- 
ly and  unreservedly  obedient  can  ever  be  adinitted? 

^^My  father!— my  brother!  if  God  had  l)id  tlice- 
do  some  great  tJiing,  woaldest  thou  not  have  doie 
it?  how  much  rather  then  when  he  says,  -^take  my 
yoke  upon  you  and  learn  of  me"'?  You  are  now 
yourselves  the  judges  in  the  case.  You  will  admit 
— you  cannot  but  admit — that  it  is  presumptuous, 
it  is  irrational,  to  hope  for  God's  salvation,  while 
we  neglect  the  way  in  which  he  proffers  to  dispense- 
it.  You  will  not  then  bring  charges  of  harshness 
an  1  illiberality,  when  we  advance  the  same  senti^ 
ment.  You  will  not,  therefore,  deem  it  an  unrea^ 
sonable  statement,  that  tliere  is  no  ordinary  possi- 
bility of  salvation  without  the  precincts  of  the  chris- 
tian church;  b  once  we  can  clearly  make  it  out  to 
you  that  the  church  is  the  great  mean  of  effecting 
man's  salvation. 

This  is  not  one  of  those  questions  that  are  only 
to  be  settled  by  long  and  difficult  argument.  It  is 
a  question  of  fact,  and  you  will  find  the  decisioa 
written  as  with  a  sun  beam  in  every  page  of  scrip- 
ture. When  the  Saviour  gave  commandment  to 
his  .\postles  to  proclaim  his  great  salvation  to  all 
people  under  heaven,  what  was  the  declaration  that 
accompanied  this  commandment?  "Me  that  believ- 
eth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved."  When  those 
Apostles  made  the  first  proof  of  their  ministry,  in 
the  city  of  Jerusalem,  on  the  memorable  day  of 
Pentecost;  what  was  their  answer  to  the  agonized 


16^  f%e  JSTecBSsitif  of 

multitudes  who  felt  convicted  of  the  sin  of  crucify^ 
ing  Grod's  own  Messiah,  and  cried  out  in  hor- 
ror, 'men  and  brethren  what  shall  we  do?^  ''Re- 
pent and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you,  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye 
shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.^'  This 
was  their  answer  to  the  eager  inquiry.  When  the 
Apostles  went  abroad  among  the  Gentile  nations, 
what  other  prescription  did  they  ever  give  for  at- 
taining to  God's  salvation?  'Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ:'  'believe  and  be  baptized:'  'the  word 
is  nigh  thee,  even  in  thy  mouth  and  in  thy  heart-— 
that  if  thou  shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  shalt  believe  in  thine  heart  that  God 
hath  raised  him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved. 
For  with  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteous- 
ness; and  with  the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto 
salvation."* 

Such  we  dare  assert  to  be  the  uniform  language 
of  the  scriptures  upon  this  subject.  Kxamine  thera 
diligently,  scrupulously,  for  yourselves*  Look  at 
every  passage  wliich  has  respect  to  the  commission 
to  proclaim  among  the  nations  the  hope  of  life  eter- 
nal. Ponder  every  instance  which  serves  to  shed 
any  light  on  the  manner  in  which  the  Apostles  ex- 
ecuted this  commission.  Compare  the  results  of 
this  investigation  with  all  that  you  can  gather  from 
their  letters  to  the  churches.     And  your  GonclusioU 


^  Christian  Profession.  iSf 

cannot  differ  from  that  which  we  have  stated.  You 
will  not  be  able  to  find  one  promise  of  salvation  to 
those  who  refuse  connexion  with  the  church  of  Je- 
sus Christ:  you  will  perceive  that  the  scriptures  do 
not  contemplate  salvation  (under  ordinary  circum- 
stances) except  in  connexion  with  the  church  of 
Christ:  and  you  will  read  that  they  uniformly  di- 
rect you  to  seek  salvation  by  connecting  yourself  iu 
baptism  with  the  church  of  Christ. 

And  if  you  advert  to  the  language  of  the  old 
Testament  scriptures,  you  will  find  that  their  whole 
current  urges  you  to  the  same  conclusion.  Still  sal- 
vation is  of  the  church  of  God:  And  wherever  you 
read  of  mercy  either  sought  or  shewn,  you  no  lon- 
ger see  an  alien  from  the  commonwealth  of  IsraeL 

This  is  our  first  proof  of  the  position:  While 
the  scriptures  of  truth  herald  salvation  to  every 
creature  under  heaven,  they  direct  all  to  seek  it  iu 
the  church  of  Jesus  Christ.  They  name  no  other 
way, 

2,  Attend  now  to  the  general  scope  of  Messiah's 
administration  in  this  world  of  ours,  this  theatre  of 
his  mercy;  and  see  if  the  nature  of  that  adminis- 
tration, or  the  terms  in  which  he  speaks  of  it,  will 
comport  with  the  reasonable  hope  of  salvation, 
while  we  remain  aliens  from  the  church  of  God. 

The  Church  of  God — what  is  it?  You  have 
heard  of  that  kingdom  over  which  Messiah  reigns; 
and  you  recognise  in  that  ]nnH;doni  the  church  of 
God,     Yqu  bavQ  read  of  that  body  which  Messiak 


iBB  The  JSTecessity  of 

is  said  to  head;  that  body  of  which  all  christians 
are  severally  members;  that  body  which  derives  its 
influences  and  its  destinies  from  the  head;  and  m 
that  body  you  are  taught  to  recognise  the  church  of 
Ood.  You  know  that  family  of  which  the  scrip- 
tures often  speak;  that  sainted  family  to  which  God 
himself  is  father,  of  which  Jesus  Christ  is  called 
the  elder  brother,  and  to  which  all  others  are  at- 
tached as  little  children,  the  brethren  and  the  sis- 
ters of  our  risen  Lord;  and  in  that  family  you  re- 
cognise the  church  of  God.  You  know  that  vine 
of  which  the  Saviour  is  the  stem;  the  vine  of  which 
all  people^  the  saved  of  his  grace,  are  the  branches, 
twigs  and  tendrils;  the  vine  that  derives  its  vitality 
thro'  the  stem,  and  shoots  its  living  juices  through 
every  slender  twig;  and  in  that  vine  you  are  taught 
to  recognise  the  church  of  God.  Thus  assemble 
before  you  all  the  imagery  of  scripture;  note  the 
way  in  which  Messiah  dispenses  life  eternal  among 
the  perishing  of  all  nations;  and  you  will  find  that 
all  salvation  is  of  the  church  of  God. 

Turn  now  to  the  plans  of  this  Almighty  Saviour 
as  developed  for  futurity.  FJear  the  prophetic  Spi- 
rit portray  the  joyous  event  when  all  nations  shall 
hear  the  sound  of  this  salvation;  when  all  people 
shall  be  blessed  in  him, and  all  shall  call  him  blessed. 
Tell  me,  what  says  the  Spirit  of  inspiration!  How 
readest  thou  the  predictions  of  universal  blessing? 
Is  it  not  in  connexion  with  a  universal  church?  ts 
it  not  whtu  ail  kiixdreds  and  kingdoms  of  the  na- 


A  Christian  Profession,  16^ 

tions  shall  be  embraced  in  this  one  Idngdom  of 
Go(Fs  own  Messiah?  Is  it  not  when  all  people 
shall  Hock  to  the  gates  of  Zion? — the  glory  of  the 
Gentiles  to  the  city  of  our  God? — Is  it  not  when  the 
alien  and  the  outcast  from  the  commonwealth  of 
Israel  and  the  stranger  from  the  covenants  of  prom- 
ise, shall  be  brought  nigh  by  the  blood  of  the  ev- 
erlasting covenant,  and  become  cliildren  of  Abra- 
ham by  faith? — Was  it  not  in  this  way  the  predic- 
tion at  first  began  to  be  fulfilled,  when  the  Gentiles 
by  myriads  were  united  to  the  church  of  God?  K 
salvation  were  commonly  ministered  in  any  other 
way,  would  it  not  falsify  the  predictions  of  the 
scripture?  w  ould  it  not  render  nugatory  the  declar- 
ed plans  of  God? — If  salvation  is  to  be  found  as 
well  without  as  within  the  limits  of  the  Churchy 
it  is  m^turn  to  ask  oiyou^  why  then  is  a  profession 
of  the  faith  of  Christ  represented  as  so  indispensa- 
ble in  the  holy  scriptures?  Why  are  we  required 
to  adhere  openly  and  unwaveringly  to  the  church 
of  Jesus  Christ,  in  tlefiance  of  difficulty,  persecu- 
tion and  death?  Why  so  many  martyrs  seal  their 
testimony  with  their  blood,  if  they  might  have  re- 
tained their  piety  without  making  any  show  of  it? 
if  they  might  have  been  crowned  w  ith  salvation 
■without  the  hazard  of  their  lives. 

My  dear  friends,  it  is  a  very  plain  case.  We 
tieed  not  prolong  this  incjuiry  another  minute.  It 
is  clear  that  all  scriptural  prophecy  and  precept 
speak  but  one  language  on  this  subject.     It  is  clear 

W 


lyo  The  J^Tecessity  of 

that  God's  salvation  is  to  be  lieraldeci  to  all  na- 
tions; and  in  order  that  tliey  may  reach  it^  they  are 
pointed  to  the  Church  of  God.  It  is  clear  that  the 
extension  of  Messiah's  kingdom  is  the  same  with 
the  extension  of  the  Church  of  God,  And  it  is 
clear  that  if  consistent,  he  never  will,  he  never  can^ 
acknowledge  any  as  subjects  of  his  kingdom  while 
they  refuse  to  own  the  authority  which  uniformly 
binds  them  to  -^confess  with  their  mouth  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ''  as  well  as  to  ^^believe  on  him  with 
the  heart." 

Does  this  view  appear  illiberal?  Then  is  tlio 
plan  of  God's  salvation  illiberal.  Do  these  dec- 
larations sound  harshly  in  your  ears?  Then  re- 
member it  is  harshness  for  Messiah  to  command 
you  to  own  that  Saviour  from  whom  you  hope  sal- 
vation: remember  it  is  harshness  for  this  merciful 
physician  to  proffer  you  the  aid  of  his  skill  and 
kindness,  in  the  way  that  he  deems  right:  remem- 
ber it  is  harshness  to  require  this  proof  of  penitence 
and  sincerity  in  his  returning  creatures,  that  you 
will    do    at   last,  do  for  your  own  salvation,  the 

thing  he  bids  you  do. And  this  is  liarshnessl 

The  God  of  immensity  tenders  you  salvation,  and 
you  say  yoi*  would  gladly  have  it.  But  he  tenders 
it  in  connexion  with  that  great  Society  of  which 
hig  own  Messiah  is  the  head  and  king;  and  you 
s*ay  you  do  not  wish  to  be  connected  with  his 
church.  He  tend^^rs  you  hifi  Spirit  with  the  water 
of  his  baptism^  and  you  say  you  had  rather  be  sav- 


A  Christian  Profission,  I7I 

*&i  without  that  baptism.  Srie  tenders  you  salva- 
tion if  you  will  submit  to  all  his  government,  if 
you  will  wear  his  yoke,  if  you  will  learn  of  him; 
and  you  refuse  to  leari  of  him,  you  refuse  to  wear 
his  yoke.  You  must  be  saved  in  your  own  way, 
not  in  God's  way.  You  must  be  saved  when  it 
suits  you  to  submit  to  his  appointments  and  not 
just  when  he  invites  you.  And  it  is  cruel  in  God's 
Messiah  to  withhold  his  £:reat  salvation  from  the 
little,  pitiful,  short-sighted  but  self-sufficient  being 
who  refuses  to  seek  for  it  in  the  way  he  has  direct- 
ed! And  it  is  harsh  in  me  to  tell  you  that  in  act- 
ing thus  perversely  you  tdilc  with  yoiu-  peace! 
Friends  and  fellow  sinners^  we  feel  at  ease  upon 
this  subject;  for  the  fact  once  established,  none  bui 
a  miscreant  would  say  so.  Why  quarrel  with  Je- 
sus Olirist?  Why  quarrel  with  me?  He  has  pro- 
vided for  your  salvation:  he  enjoins  it  upon  me  to 
offer  }ou  salvation:  and  he  has  laid  down  most 
clearly  the   way  in   which   lie   dispenses  it.      iiE 

DEVLS   SALVAriON  TO     THE    ClIURGU     OF    GoD:    HE 
INVITES  YOU  TO  THE  FELLOV/SHIP  OF  THE  ChURCH 

OF  God:  and  he  pledges  his  own  glory  that  if  you 
come  to  him  sincerely — come  in  the  way  he  bids 
you,  come  wear  his  yoke,  come  learn  of  him,  come 
begin  that  course  of  discipline  that  will  fit  you  for 
iiis  heavens — he  will  embrace  you  in  the  destinies 
of  the  church  of  his  first  born;  and  with  the  church 
of  God,  to  his  heavens  he  will  raise  you.  If  you  do 
not  like  the  terms,  why  complain  of  hlni?  He  nev 
Or  pledged  himself  to   give  salvation  to  any  vvli 


i7^  The  JS^ecessity  of 

esteem  it  so  very  lightly  as  to  reject  tlie  only  way  iii 
"wbicii  he  probers  to  comoiuriicaie  it. — If  you  do 
riot  Like  the  terms,  why  complain  f  me?  I  did  not 
write  the  scriptures.  I  was  not  of  heaven's  coun- 
cil when  that  plan  was  laid  which  restricts  the 
Saviour's  blessings  to  those  who  wear  his  yoke. 
Jut  I  do  feel  it  due  to  the  supremacy  of  Grod;  1  feel 
it  due  to  his  wisdom  and  goodness  to  declare,  that 
the  being  who  rejects  the  mild  and  simple  regimen 
Messiah  tenders  for  the  recovery  of  the  nations, 
does  not  deserve  to  share  in  his  salvation.  He 
has  laid  his  plan.  He  has  come  down  and  wept 
and  groaned  and  died.  He  has  stooped  low  as 
hell  for  your  recovery.  And  novv  he  offers  to  re- 
cover you,  and  tells  you  the  way  in  which  he  is  ready 
to  accomplish  it:  -wear  my  yoke,'  'learn  of  me.^ 
And  you — you — refuse  to  do  it!  O  God!  can  such 
a  creature  have  claims  on  thy  compassiini?  Is  it 
lit  that  heaven's  majesty  should  bend  to  man's  per- 
verseness?  that  God  should  change  his  plans  to 
meet  a  worm's  remissness?  No,  as  the  l^ord  Al- 
mighty liveth!  Your  sin  at  iirst  consisted  in  re- 
jecting the  creator's  yoke  and  taking  your  own 
w\ay.  Your  rebellion  still  consists  in  refusing  obe- 
dience to  your  creator's  word.  How  then  can  sal- 
vation ])ossibly  comport  with  the  additional  rt^jec- 
tion  of  Messiah's  yoke,  with  settled  disobedience 
to  Messiah's  councils,  while  their  declared  object 
is  your  recovery  from  ruin?  No,  as  the  Lord  Al- 
mighty liveth!     If  perdition  was  the  cost  of  rebel- 


d  thrisiian  Frof ess-ion.  ITS 

lion  against  God^  salvation  can  never  liglit  on  the 
still  rebellious  spirit  that  multiplies  its  outrages  by 
di^iobeying  bis  vles.^ah.  No.  as  the  Lord  Al- 
mij^lity  livetb!  If  you  dispute  the  appropriateness 
of  Messiah's  plans,  if  you  dislike  his  regimen,  if 
you  refuse  his  yoke,  why  seek  some  other  Saviour: 
try  your  own  experiments:  walk  on  in  your  own 
ways.  The  wisdom  of  the  eternal  majesty  shall 
then  stand  fully  vindicated,  when  folly  has  brought 
ruin  00  the  wretched  creature  that  opposed  itf 
glow-worm  light  to  heaven's  eternal  sun. 

1  know  it  may  be  said  that  persons  have  beea 
saved  who  never  claim'^d  connexion  with  the 
church  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  know  that  at  the  hour 
in  which  Messiah  breathed  his  last,  a  penitent 
malefactor,  suspended  by  his  side,  sought  and  ob- 
tained forgiveness.  And  1  know  that  it  is  my 
privilege  to  announce  the  same  salvation  to  every 
dying  creature  to  wiiose  bed  I  may  be  summoned. 
But  did  that  distinguished  tropliyofthe  Saviour's 
grace,  that  dying  malefactor,  sue  for  God's  salva- 
tion in  the  spirit  of  those  who  refuse  the  Saviour's 
yoke?  Would  that  man  of  broken  spirit^  liad  lie 
been  taken  from  the  tree,- — woulrl  that  man  of  bro- 
ken spirit  have  si  ill  disavowed  connexion  with  the 
Saviour  and  spurned  the  fellowship  of  the  church 
of  God?  O  no!  So  certainly  as  that  had  been  his 
disposition,  so  certainly  as  he  had  been  of  a  temper 
to  refuse  the  Saviour's  yoke,  he  had  been  ui^iit  for 
an  entry  into  the  paradise  of  God. 


i7^  The  Mcessity  of 

Salvation  is  to  be  sought  for  in  connexion  with 
the  church,  not  because  the  water  of  baptism  or  the 
cup  of  the  new  testament  (^^erate  like  a  charm^ 
and  of  themselves  work  wonders*     Many  are  the 
adherents   to  Messiah's  church,  who  are  mere  for- 
malists in  conduct  and  hypocrites  in  heart.     Many 
are  the  sharers  in  the  cup  of  his  new  testament, 
whose  ears  are  never  inclined    with   reverence   to 
Ms  word,  and  whose  necks  are  never  subject  to  his 
reasonable  government*     But  because  such  multi- 
tudes thus  triHe  with  their  creator  and  make  ship- 
wreck of  their  hope,  by  submitting  iu  externals  to 
the  law  he  has  imposed,  while  they  trample  on  the 
law  that  regulates   the  heart;  shall  others  profess 
their  hope  in  his  salvation — profess  that  in    heart 
they  are  subject  to  his  law — while  they  refuse  to 
own  him  as  his  law  requires?     Does  it  follow  that 
because  some  are  lost  who  habitually  refuse  obedi- 
ence iu  one  way,  others  may  be  saved  who  disobey 
as  habitually  in  some  other  way?     Does  it  follow 
that  because  multitudes  bring  destruction  on  them-* 
selves  by  profaning  the  symbols  of  Grod's  great  sal- 
vation, others  may  be  saved  who  for  fear  of  like  of- 
fences, or  for  some  other  reason,  violate  the  precept 
and  reject  the  way  of  life,  by  refusing  entirely  the 
symbols  of  salvation?— O  yes,  that  penitent  was 
sayed  upon  his  cross.     But  that  penitent  iirst  bow- 
ed  in    subjection  to   the  Saviour.     His  heart  was 
right  with  (Tod.     No  death  h^sieges  you:  no  cross 
Suspends  you  between  earth  aud  heaven^  that  you 


Jl  Christian  Profession.  iy§: 

may  not  reach  the  fount  of  holy  baptism:  no  irons 
pin  your  hands  to  that  accursed  beam,  that  you 
may  not  stretch  them  forth  for  the  cup  of  his  new 
testament.  Shew  then  that  your  heart  is  right 
with  God  the  Haviour.  Prove  tlie  sincerity  with 
which  you  long  for  his  salvation,  by  taking  the^ 
course  he  bids  you.  Take  his  yoke  upon  you. 
Take  your  lesson  from  the  meek  and  the  lowly 
minded  Saviour.  Believe  and  be  bapti:sed.  Be- 
lieve him  and  obey  liim. 

Salvation  has  been  ordained  in  connexion  with 
the  church  for  good  and  various  reasons.     A  vol- 
ume would  not  unfold  them;  what  then  can  we  at- 
tempt  in  the  conclusion  of  this  discourse!     The 
ordinance  is  predicated  on  the  social  principles  of 
the   nature  you  inherit.     You    are   led,   you   are 
moulded,  you  are  injured,  you  are  benefitted,  by 
the  various   operations   of  the  social  law.     Long 
since  has  it  been  written  that  *'as  iron  sharpeneth 
iron,  so  a  man  sharpeneth  the  countenance  of  his 
friend."     Long  since   has   it  been  felt  that  man 
must  meet  with  man,  if  ever  we  are  to  enjoy  ^Hbe 
feast  of  reason  and   the  flow  of  soul.''     You  see 
that  nothing  could  exist  which  we  ordinarily  ranl^ 
among  the  means  of  onr  salvation,  if  it   Wf^w  not 
engrafted  on  the  church  of  God.     No  order  could 
be  established  for  the  promotion  of  salvation,    un- 
less it  subsisted  in  some  such  association  as  that 
which  we  denominate  the  church  of  (rod.     No  vv  ly 
<jould  b©  devised  for  exteading  among  the  nations 


176  The  J^ecessity  of 

the  knowledge  of  salvation  with  such  admirable 
facility  as  through  the  church  of  God.  In  no  situ- 
ation can  we  acquire  the  knowledge  or  cultivate 
the  tempers  that  prepare  for  Grod's  salvation,  with 
such  readiness  and  certainty  as  by  submitting  to 
the  regimen  of  the  church  of  God.  No  regulation 
affords  such  various  means  for  man  to  influence 
man  and  to  promote  the  great  salvation,  as  the 
binding  them  together  in  one  great  association,  u- 
niting  their  efforts  in  one  common  cause,  cementing 
their  affections  by  one  common  hope,  and  identify- 
ing their  destinies  in  every  important  point  of  vie W' 
with  that  w  hich  is  allotted  to  the  church  of  God. 
And  never  could  you  note,  distinctly  and  generally, 
the  individuals  who  relinquish  the  standard  of  re- 
bellion and  humbly  bow  them  to  high  heaven's  rule 
— never  could  you  discriminate  the  hosts  of  God^s 
redeemed  from  the  millions  that  still  refuse  to  own 
liis  government, — unless  they  were  embodied, 
marshaled  and  drawn  forth  in  "the  armour  and 
attitude''  of  the  Church  of  God. 

Salvation,  then,  is  predicated  on  the  social  law. 
And  in  organizing  a  plan  for  the  recovery  of  his 
creatures,  to  that  law  of  their  being  C^od  paid  a 
strict  regard.  Is  it  likely,  therefore,  that  he  will 
suffer  you  to  disregard  it?  Let  all  creation  testify 
Jiow  stable  are  his  laws.  So  fixed,  so  inviolable, 
that  a  single  inversion  of  a  natural  law  is  held  to  be 
a  miracle,  and  bc'comes  the  wonder  of  all  nations. 
So  fixed;  so  inviolable,  that  you  scarcely  hold  it 


*5  Christian  Profession.  iffi 

credible  that  the  sun  should  have  once  stood  still 
on  Gibeah,  though  to  effect  deliverance  for  all  the 
church  of  God.  Ho  fixed,  so  inviolable,  that  you 
scarcely  believe  the  record  of  Messiah's  works  of 
wonder,  though  done  to  attest  his  mission  as  Sa- 
viour of  the  world.  And  yet  you,  wh  >  think  it 
strange  that  one  law  should  be  suspended,  though 
to  minister  good  to  myriads  who  place  their  reli- 
ance on  the  Redeemers  name — you — you  will  be 
so  inconsistent  as  to  plead  for  the  inversion,  the 
suspension,  the  destruction,  of  a  written  law  of 
heaven,  announced  with  such  solemnity  by  the  God 
of  truth:  and  that,  not  for  the  advantage  of  those 
who  honour  and  obey  him;  but  to  do  good  to  those 
who  need  the  inversion  of  the  law  precisely  because 
they  will  not  obey  him,  and  thus  accept  salvation 
in  the  way  of  his  appointment.  This  were  indeed 
a  miracle!  Sooner  would  I  believe  it  that  day  by 
day  the  sun  would  stay  his  course  upon  the  height 
of  Gibeah,  that  every  slothful  hind  might  com- 
plete his  neglected  task.  Neglected,  insulted  ma- 
jesty of  heaven!  shall  man — shall  angel — thii«  tam- 
per with  thy  dignity!  thus  trifle  with  thy  patience! 
^^Let  God  be  true,  and  every  man  a  liar!*^  He 
points  you  for  salvation  to  the  church  of  Jesus 
Christ.  He  marshals  all  his  people  who  lay  hold 
on  his  salvation  under  the  banner  of  Jesus  Christ. 
He  has  committed  every  ordinance  that  can  pro- 
mote the  souFs  salvation,  to  the  churc'i  of  Tesus 
Christ.    And  all  history  will  testify;  that  in  ail  pla« 

X 


178  The  JSTecessity  of 

ces  of  the  earth  piety  and  purity  have  sprung  up 
and  decayed  with  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Whatever  be  her  temper,  this  is  her  profession:  she 
is  the  kingdom  of  the  Saviour  against  the  kingdom 
of  the  Devil.  And  whatever  be  the  spirit  that  an- 
imates her  sons,  they  profpss  their  allegiance  to 
the  Majesty  of  Heaven;  and,  in  pursuance  of  his 
order  they  profess  it  openly.  This  kingdom  of 
Messiah  is  set  up  in  the  world  for  the  declared  pur- 
pose of  alluring  sinful  men  from  the  standard  of  re- 
bellion, and  marshaling  them  under  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Grod  of  Hosts.  It  is  constituted  on  a 
principle  that  aifords  every  inducement  and  every 
facility  for  deserting  forever  the  standard  of  rebel- 
lion. It  guarantees  forgiveness  of  all  that  is  past, 
salvation  and  glory  for  eternity  to  come.  Thus  or- 
ganized on  earth,  the  Saviour  of  the  nations  makes 
proclamation  of  his  mercy.  He  bids  you  quit  for* 
ever  the  ranks  of  the  rebellious;  he  bids  you  come 
and  range  yourselves  under  the  government  of  God; 
lie  bids  you  do  it  openly.  Fall  into  the  ranks, 
into  Messiah's  ranks,  and  let  it  not  be  doubtful 
with  whom  you  should  be  numbered.  Fall  int© 
THE  RANKS,  iuto  Messiali's  ranks,  and  aid  him  in 
the  battle  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty.  Victo- 
ry sits  perched  on  the  standard  of  Messiah:  the 
fri^its  of  that  victory  shall  be  yours.  Unfading  lau- 
rels shall  crown  the  conquerors  brow:  and  with 
you,  my  fellow- sinner,  the  captain-general  of  the 
Hosts  of  Godj  proposes  to  share  his  laurels.  Fall 


Jl  Christian  Professimi.  lyO:. 

INTO  THE  RANKS,  into  Messiah's  ranks,  and  be- 
come the  soldier  of  that  cross,  because  in  it  is  all 
your  safety.  Come,  take  his  yoke  upon  you.  Conie^ 
learn  of  God's  Messiah. 

And  now,  my  dear  friends,  you  must  be  your- 
selves the  judges,  whether  the  mandate  of  the  Sa- 
viour is  any  thing  more  than  reasonable.  We  know 
that  you  have  your  difficulties  and  your  fears  on 
this  subject.  We  know  tliat  there  are  several  of 
you  who  would  rally  most  cheerfully  round  the 
standard  of  the  cross,  or  who  think  that  you  would 
do  so,  provided  these  difficulties  and  fears  were  done 
away.  We  hope  that  on  next  Lord's  day  they 
will  be  done  away;  in  so  far,  at  least,  as  they  do 
not  arise  out  of  considerations  connected  rather 
with  the  tempers  of  your  minds,  than  with  the  na- 
ture of  the  service  imposed  by  God  the  Saviour^ 
We  hope  to  prove  to  you  that  a  profession  of  the 
christian  faith  is  not  that  hazardous  and  appaling 
thing  which  most  of  you  suppose.  We  hope  tri- 
umphantly to  vindicate  the  Saviour's  own  assu- 
rance that  if  his  yoke  must  be  worn,  if  his  burden 
must  be  carried,  he  has  both  v»  ill  and  power  to  ren- 
der the  yoke  very  easy,  the  burden  very  light. 

But  it  need  not  be  concealed, — the  Saviour  liim- 
self  never  attempted  to  conceal  it, — that  no  apolo- 
gy can  be  admitted  for  withholding  compliance  with 
this  positive  requisition,  whatever  be  the  difficulties 
or  hazards  that  might  ensue.  There  have  been 
many  ages  in  which,  throii^jh  many  lands^  all  who 


iSO  The  JSTecessiiy  of 

who  dared  to  own  allegiance  to  the  Saviour  have 
encountered  from  the  first  incalculable  ills.  But 
these  ills  did  not  arise  from  the  nature  of  their  ser- 
vice; they  arose  from  the  predooiinant  tempers  oi 
those  who  refused  subjection  to  the  Saviour's  yoke. 
And  wheresoever,  and  whensoever,  the  weight  of 
Influence  is  in  the  hands  of  those  wlio  are  opposed 
t  prosperity  of  the  Saviour's  kingdom;  where- 

soever integrity,  however  unassuming,  thwarts  ihe 
purposes  and  plans  of  supple  courtesy  and  selfish- 
ness; wheresoever  innocence  casts,  by  its  very  pre- 
sence, a  stigma  upon  vice;  there  you  may  expect 
that  the  Saviour's  cause  will  suffer — will  suffer  in 
the  persons  of  those  who  thus  gallantly  uphold  it 
— if  the  arm  of  power,  or  the  persevering  spirit  of 
malignity  and  cunning  can  possibly  affect  them. 

In  all  such  cases,  and  indeed  in  every  case,  the 
r  le  is  one;  and  it  is  a  very  plain  one.  We 
live  n*  t  to  ourselves;  we  wear  the  master's  yoke: 
and  that  yoke  must  not  be  relinquished  under  any 
circumstances.  It  is  a  question  of  no  importance 
what  bearing  it  may  have  upon  our  standing  in  so- 
ciety. It  is  the  advancement  of  the  Saviour's  cause 
v/e  are  bound  to  consult.  The  way  of  righteous- 
ness, of  sincerity  and  of  truth,  is  the  only  one  that 
can  ever  be  acceptable  to  the  God  of  truth,  or  that 
will  be  blessed  of  him  to  the  furlherance  of  his 
cause.  Ascertain  that  way.  And,  when  once  you 
shall  have  discovered  it,  press  forward.  Leave  re- 
sults to  Jesus  Christ.    The  cause  is  his;  not  yoursj 


^  CJiristiun   Profissio7i,  481 

and  you  are  not  only  bound  to  promote  it,  but  to 
promote  it  in  liis  way. 

And  what  then  if  tiiere  should  be  hazards  in  at- 
tem^jting,  as  the  servants  of  the  mighty  Saviour,  to 
promote  and  extend  the  influence  of  his  cause! 
Does  he  require  any  thing  (jf  you  to  v/liich  he  did 
not  himself  submit?  Come!  make  he  most  of  the 
evils  that  even  fertile  fancy  could  possibly  conjure 
up!  What  are  they  when  compared  with  tho-^e  to 
which  Jesus  Christ  submitted  without  a  moment's 
hesitation?  And  hp  wore  the  yoke,  he  bore  the  bur» 
den.  for  the  advancement  of  otlsers.  He  made  com- 
mon cause  with  you,  when  it  cost  him  all  those  ag- 
onies, that  he  might  compass  your  salvation.  Dare 
you  then  refuse  to  make  common  cause  with  him? 
Dare  you  hesitate  to  promote  the  interests  of  *»th6 
common  salvation'? 

Thus  we  might  address  you,  were  your  lot  cast 
in  an  age  and  country  in  which  you  would  have, 
for  this  world,  nothing  to  hope  and  every  tljing  to 
fear.  But  recollect  that  others,  now  with  the  Sa- 
viour in  his  heavens,  ^'have  borne  the  heat  and  bur- 
den of  the  day.''  You  have  no  hazards  to  run,  no 
sacrifices  to  make,  no  indignity  to  anticipate,  but 
that  which  would  await  you  with  e([ual  certainty, 
provided  you  determined  to  act  as  becomes  an  ho- 
nest and  independent  man,  although  the  burden  of 
the  Saviour  and  the  hope  of  life  by  him  bad  no  ex- 
istence among  men.  But  these  things  it  will  be  our 
business  on  next  fiord's  day  more  fully  to  make 
out. 


iSS  The  JSTecesBiiy  of 

Meanwhile  will  you  ponder  how  lights  how  tfail* 
>«ient  must  be  the  pressure   of  that  burden,   when 
contrasted  with  the  ^'exceeding  and  eternal  weight 
of  glory*'  that  is  to  recompense  your  toil?  Will  you 
Weigh  for  yourselves  the  alternative  awaiting  you, 
provided  you  reject  the  Saviour's  reasonable  requi- 
sition?    Will  you  examine  at  your  leisure,  as  scru- 
pulously as  you  please,  the  bearings  of  those  scrip- 
tures on  which  our  main  position  rests?     I  trust  in  - 
ideed  that  with  most  of  you,  I  stand  high  above  the 
imputation  of  a  mere  proselyting  spirit,  in  thus  urg- 
ing, however  earnestly,  a  truth  of  so  much  import- 
ance.    For  me  it  is  enough,  whatever  n^sults  of  o- 
ther  kinds  may  follow,  if  yo*i   will  hear  the  coun- 
sels of  Eternal  wisdom  for  your  eternal  peace.     It 
is  the  sum   of  my  ambition  to  see  you  all  enlisted 
nnder  the  banners  of  the  Saviour:  to  see  you  all  at- 
tentive, like  little  humble  children,  to  the  instruc- 
tions of  Messiah:  to  see  you  safely  lodged  within 
the  bosom  of  that  ark  which  has   already  rode  out 
file  tempests  of  many  generations,  and  will  move  a- 
long  most  gallantly  through   the  fires  of  the  last 
judgment,  till  it  land  its  precious  freight  at  the  por- 
tals of  liigh  heaven.     Let  me  but  see  this, — let  me 
|}ut  know  this, — -and  it  is  a  thing  of  minor  conse- 
quence   what  other   results  may  follow  upon  this 
my  last  appeal.     Let  me  but  hear  that  salvation  has 
blessed  the  people  of  ray  charge — that  eternal  sal- 
vation crowns  the  friends  of  my  heart: — then,  though 
I  were  summoned  first  to  that  eternal  world,  what 


nB.  Christian  Profession.  188 

were  it  but  to  meet  you  as  you  entered  one  by  one 
the  expanded  gates  of  heaven!  and  to  welcome  ijoii 
my  father!  and  you  my  little  sister!  to  the  peace 
and  joy  of  the  eternal  state.  But  who  shall  go  the 
first,  or  who  shall  live  the  longest;  who  may  have 
sown,  or  who  shall  reap  this  harvest;  are  questions 
of  small  moment.  Allegiance  to  the  Saviour  is  the 
point  of  great  concern.  And  it  is  well  for  you  ii^ 
know  what  that  allegiance  calls  for:  to  know  that 
it  is  fealty  to  wear  the  Saviour's  yoke;  to  know  that 
it  is  wisdom  to  hear  the  Saviour's  words;  to  know 

that  ALL   SALVATION  IS    OF  TIIE  CHURCH  OF  GrOD,^^ 

fimen. 


*The  following  extract  from  "a  dissertation  on  th© 
Seals  and  Trumpets  of  the  Apocalypse,"  <^'c.  by  William 
Cunninghame,  Esq.  is  fo  perfectly  in  unison  with  the  sen^ 
timent  submitted  in  the  foregoing  discourse,  that  the  au^ 
thor  cannot  but  avail  himself  of  an  authority  so  deci^ 
ded,and  at  the  same  time  so  very  respectable,  on  this  ve- 
ry tender  point.  The  passage  has  a  reference  to  the  mea* 
surement  of  the  Temple,  (Rev.  xi  1,  2.)  and  constitutes 
of  itself  a  striking,  and,  as  we  think,  unanswerable  argu- 
ment in  support  of  the  position  maintained  in  the  above 
discourse-  If  any  thing  would  insure  additional  weight 
to  a  statement  of  itself  sufficiently  imposing^  the  reflec- 
tions that  it  is  the  production  of  a  layman,  and  that  it  was 
written  in  a  country  where  scarcely  any  one  professing 
belief  in  the  scriptures  ever  thought  of  controverting  Uw 
position,  ought  to  give  it  thnt  weight* 

In  order  to  set  before  the  reader  the  force  of  this  anal- 
ysis w  ith  the  greatest  possible  distinctness,  we  will  throw 
each  parallelism  drawn  by  Mv,  Cunniughame,  into  a  $ep^ 
arate  section.     Thf'se  ar*^  his  words: 

^'The  second  division  of  the  temple  of  (iod  was  the  sanctii* 


iS4i  The  JSTecessity  of,  §Y'. 

ary,  or  boly  place,  which  was  next  tg  the  holy  of  holies,  and. 
separated  theref  om  hy  the  v?il.  In  the  !>oly  place  were 
piaced  the  golden  candlestick  with  scVen  branches,  the  gol- 
clep  altar  of  incense,  and  the  table  of  shew-bread.  It  is  easy 
to  perceive  that  t  e  !^oly  place  w-)s  a  symbol  of  ihe  true  spi- 
ritual Church  of  God  upon  earth. 

1.  '*The  holy  place  h.d  no  liiijhi  from  without:  it  was  en- 
lightened only  by  the  lamps  of  the  golden  candlestick  with  se- 
ven branches.  Tins  candl«stick  was  a  symbol  of  die  Holy 
Spirit;  called,  in  the  figurative  languay^e  of  tbis  book,  from 
the  fulness  and  completeness  of  his  gfts  and  opprations,'the 
Seven  Spirits,'  i  e.  the  All-perfect  and  Infinite  Spirit  oi  God. 
In  the  same  m;?i  ner,  the  true  spiritual  church  ot  Christ  has 
no  iif^ht  from  without,  but  is  internally  illuminated  by  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

2  'Incense,  as  we  have  already  seen,  is  a  symbol  of  the 
prayers  of  the  saints.  It  is  only  in  the  true  spiritual  church 
that  such  prayers  are  offered;  and  they  are  symbolized  by 
the  incense  burnt  upon  the  golden  altar  in  tbe  holy  place. 

3.  |C?*''There  was  no  way  into  the  holy  of  hoJi'.s  but 
through  the  holy  place;  and  so  there  is  no  M'ay  into  heaven, 
the  true  holy  of  hrJies,  but  by  entering  into,  oi-  becoming 
members  of^  the  true  spiritual  church  of  Christ." 

The  foregoing  extract  ri-quii^  s  no  comment.  We  have 
only  to  express  our  deep  afliliction  that  tl'creshoulc^be  anjf 
age,  or  any  country,  in  which  it  may  be  heh!  useful  to 
back  by  such  authority,  or  indeed  b  any  authority,  a 
truth  so  clearly  taught  in  almost  e^ry  uai^e  of  scripture, 
and  so  intimately  connected  with  ths  b(^t.  interests  of 
mankind.    <*0  that  men  were  wise,"      ^ 


t 


®iBm®Fi  wm^ 


THE  BLESSEDNESS  OF  A  CHRISTIAN 
PROFESSION. 

^•My  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  hght,^^ 

Matth.  xi.  30. 

After  the  return  of  tlie  last  of  the  disciples,  "the 
lovM  Apostle  John/^  from  his  banishment  in  Pat- 
mos,  he  was  frequently  engaged  in  travelling  about 
among  the  Asiijitic  churches,  partly  for  the  pnrp«,se 
of  ordaining  pastors^  and  partly  to  regulate  their 
affairsjjl  Independently  of  the  influence  which 
would  naturally  attach  to  a  venerable  Christian, 
now  bending  unolr  the  weight  of  abont  one  hun- 
^dred  years,  the  circumstance  of  his  being  a  last  and 
lonely  relict  of  the  Saviour's  much  loved  family 
would  impart  a  \mght  to  all  his  meastir^s  wliich 
no  other  man  could  hope.  We  are  tohS  tniit  in  one 
of  these  excursions  life  imbibed  a  str<aig  predilec- 
tion for  a  youth  who  v.as  gifted  with  remarkable 
beauty;  and  earnestly  recommended  hiiu  to  the  caro^ 


\ 


186  The  Blessedness  of 

and  attention  of  a  particular  pastor.  The  young 
man  professed  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ;  was  bap- 
tized; and  lived,  for  some  time,  as  a  ChristiaUo 
But  at  length,  having  been  perverted  by  evil  coun- 
sels and  seduced  by  bad  examples,  he  dropped  all 
intercourse  with  the  church  of  God,  and  went  on 
from  bad  to  worse  till  he  became  the  leader  of  a 
band  of  robbers.  The  aged  Apostle  did  not  again 
pass  that  way  without  inquiring  after  his  youthful 
favorite.  The  Christian  pastor  told  him  what  had 
happened,  and  pointed  to  a  mountain  not  far  dis- 
tant, where  the  robber  was  said  to  harbour.  Thith- 
er the  afflicted  old  man  immediately  hurried.  Hav- 
ing been  seized  by  some  of  the  band,  he  requested 
to  be  led  directly  to  their  captain.  No  sooner  did 
the  young  man  see  him  than  he  was  smitten  with 
shame,  and  attempted  to  make  off.  The  Apostle 
called  after  him,  entreated  him  to  stay,  and  assured 
him  there  still  was  hope  of  his  salvation.  The 
young  man  stood  still,  trembled,  and  wept  bitterly. 
The  result  of  their  conference  was  the  best  that 
could  be  desired.  The  active  charity  of  the  aged 
saint  prevailed.  He  led  back  his  lost  sheep  to 
the  bosom  of  the  church:  he  conversed  with  him, 
prayed  with  him,  probably  wept  with  him:  nor  did 
he  leave  him  till  he  saw  him  peacefully  established 
in  the  faith  and  consolations  of  the  Saviour  whom 
be  had  deserted. 

Most  gladly,  my  dear  brethren,  would  we  do  for 
you  this  afternoon^  what  a  disciple  of  the  Saviour 


«^  Christian  Profession.  187 

performed  for  that  young  stranger.  Some  of  you  I 
recoguise  as  the  children  of  bapdsm:  but  though 
early  connected  with  the  church  of  Jesus  Clirist, 
though  early  pledged  to  be  for  Grod  and  his  Messinh, 
I  see  you  now  wandering  on  dark  and  dangerous 
mountains  far  from  Zijn  tlilL  Others  of  yoii  I 
recognise  as  in  profession  friendly  to  the  cause  of 
man's  salvation;  but  negligent  of  the  means  propo- 
sed for  your  own  salvation,  and,  as  it  would  ap-. 
pear,  contented  with  the  allotment  under  which  you 
have  always  lived  as  alieus  and  outcasts  from  the 
commonwealth  of  Israel.  Did  I  possess  the  facil- 
ities enjoyed  by  that  great  and  good  Apostle,  could 
I  hope  to  be  heard  with  but  half  the  interest  with 
which  all  ears  and  hearts  inclined  to  him,  with  a 
charity  no  less  active,  with  solicitations  no  less  fer- 
vent, I  would  aim  this  afternoon  to  win  you  from 
your  mountains  to  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ;  and 
I  would  attempt  it  with  a  hope  of  equal  success. 
And  even  as  it  is,  thou  shalt  not  be  left,  child  of 
holy  baptism, — thou  shalt  not  be  left,  though  hoary 
hairs  now  cover  thee, — thou  shalt  not  be  left  to  die 
among  these  mountains,  without  one  effort  more  to 
restore  the  wanderer  to  the  fold  of  Israel.  And 
you,  who  have  not  ^^Abraham  to  your  father'^'  you 
have  heard  that  in  Messiah  there  is  salvation  for 
all  nations.  We  bring  you  down  to-day  to  the  sa- 
cred fount  of  haptism;  we  offer  to  unite  you  with 
the  commonwealth  of  Israel;  we  are  ready  to  con- 
verse with  you,  to  weep  >yith  you^  to  pray  with  you; 


iSB  Hie  Blessedupss  of 

and  we  would  gladly  build  you  up  for  the  life  ever- 
lasting, after  you  shall  have  taken  your  station  in 
the  temple  of  the  Lord.  Only  consent,  my  wander- 
ing fellow  creatures!  youths  of  various  promise  and 
of  various  mould!  only  consent  to  wear  the  Sav- 
iour's yoke,  to  hear  tlie  Saviour's  word.  Gentle 
and  tender  is  the  rule  of  that  Messiah  who  ^-giveth 
to  all  men  liberally,  and  upbraideth  not.''  Wise 
and  salutary  the  regulations  and  instructions  of 
the  God  of  love,  whose  Apostle  dealt  so  mildly 
with  a  wandering  fellow  creature.  I  know  you 
need  assurances,  stronsi;  assurances,  on  this  inter- 
esting point.  You  have  been  in  the  habit  of  think- 
ing that  in  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  there  is  some- 
thing dark  and  gloomy.  And  you  are  ready  to  tell 
me  that  in  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ  you  fancy 
you  see  much  that  is  fearfully  forbidding.  You 
suppose  there  must  be  services  painful  and  labori- 
ous; you  imagine  there  are  trials  tedious  and  vexa-^ 
tious;  you  calculate  on  sacrifices  extensive  and  un- 
profitable. 

And  can  it  then  be  that  when  the  God  of  all 
me  -cy  lai  his  plan  for  your  deliverance,  he  acted 
a  part  so  unwise  and  so  unfeeling!  Can  he  have 
fr  m'^  i  for  you  a  yoke  ro  painfully  oppressive  that 
it  seems  adviseable  to  decline  it,  though  at  the  haz- 
ard =F  your  salvation!  CW  he  have  devised  for 
you 'a  burden  so  he  vy  and  so  cumbersome  that  you 
refuse  to  take  it  up^  though  disobedience  be  perdi- 
tion! 


A  Christian  Profission,  489 

Hear  Jesus  Christ.  He  wore  a  grievous  yoke; 
he  hoie  a  tremendous  burden:  he  did  so  cheerfully^ 
that  he  might  ^irovide  for  your  salvation.  A.sk  Je- 
sus Christ.  He  cailia  the  friend  of  sinners:  he  can- 
not be  suspected  of  unfeeling  counsels.  Yet  he 
prepares  the  yoke;  he  allots  the  burden.  H  hat 
says  that  ton£;jie  which  announces  eternal  salva- 
tion to  the  n  itious^  what  say  those  lips  of  grace? 
— Is  it  a  galling  yoke?  is  it  a  grievous  burden? 
O  no!  Messiah  says  it  (for  he  knows  your  fears); 
your  vSaviour  declares  it  (for  he  feels  for  your 
apprehensions):  '<my  yoke  is  easy  and  my  bur- 
den is  light.'' 

We  have  but  one  object  in  view,  to-day,  my 
dear  brethren.  It  is  just  to  vindicate  this  declara- 
tion of  the  Redeemer,  in  order  that  you  may  be  in- 
duced without  further  dela.y  to  make  tiial  of  his 
own  way  for"  securing  your  salvation. 

And  we  know  of  nothing  that  ought  to  impress 
you  more  strongly  on  this  subject  tiiau  the  fact  that 
lie  deems  it  worth  his  while  to  seal  to  you  the  im- 
portant and  consoling  truth  we  are  about  to  vindi- 
cate with  his  own  assurance;  uttered  too  with  so 
much  tenderness  and  fellow  feeling.  Consider  to 
whom  it  is  that  the  Saviour  addresses  these  words. 
Is  it  to  his  friends?  Is  it  to  those  who  have  been 
long  professors  of  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ;  aod 
whose  fidelity  and  activity  have  endeared  them  to 
their  master?  No!  It  is  directed  to  the  alien;  to 
the  stranger;  to  those  who  have  never  yet  assumed 


ISO  The  Blessedness  of 

the  yoke  x)f  the  Redeemer,  nor  ever  made  trial  of 
the  burden  he  imposes.  He  sees  you  standing  at 
a  distance,  longing,  wishing  to  share  his  great  sal= 
Vation;  and  he  bids  you  come  to  him,— come,  and 
he  will  save  you:  He  bids  you  connect  yourselves 
witli  that  great  association  which  he  heads  and 
governs;  and  which  he  is  training  to  habits  of  de- 
votedness,  purity  and  piety,  that  it  may  be  fiii^^ 
for  an  entrance  into  the  eternal  world.  But  you 
shrink  back  at  the  idea  of  the  sacrifices  that  will  be 
required  of  you.  You  are  terrified  at  the  thought 
of  the  duties  to  be  imposed  upon  you.  He  notices 
your  difficulties:  he  stoops  with  tenderness  to  re- 
move your  solicitudes:  he  enters  with  fellow-feel- 
ing  into  all  your  fears:  and  with  a  condescension 
and  an  eagerness  that  ought  to  call  forth  gratitude 
as  well  as  confidence,  he  says  to  you, — to  you 
strangers  who  have  never  yet  trusted  him,  never 
yet  obeyed  him,  ^^my  yoke  is  easy  and  my  burden 
is  light."  How  then  can  you  believe  that  toward 
persons  without  his  church  the  ascended  Saviour 
cherishes  no  good  will?  How  can  you  anticipate 
subjection  to  a  harsh  and  painful  discipline,  if  you 
become  the  sworn  disciples  of  the  glorious  Being 
who  stoops  with  so  much  readiness  to  assure  you  of 
your  error,  while  yet  aliens  from  his  kingdom  and 
disobedient  to  his  word? 

And  are  there,  then,  no  duties  to  perform?  and 
are  there  no  sacrifices  to  be  made,  in  consequence 
«f  your  acceptance   of  the  Saviour's  invitation? 


tl  Christian  Profession.  d:9i 

Doubtless  there  are  duties,  many  duties,  all  those, 
now  binding  on  all  nations,  and  the  neglect  of 
which  has  brought  down  the  guilt  from  which  the 
Saviour  camt  to  free  you.  Doubtless  there  must 
be  sacrifices,  many  sacrifices,  the  sacrifice  of  every 
thing  that  promotes  rebellion  against  God  and  ali- 
enates your  affections  from  the  salvation  of  his 
Son.  But  you  surely  do  not  expect  salvation  i» 
the  neglect  of  these  duties,  or  without  being  oblig- 
ed to  make  those  sacrifices,  provided  only  you  live 
and  die  without  being  connected  with  the  Saviour's 
Church.  Is  it  then  a  fair,  is  it  a  wise  objection 
against  taking  the  course  you  are  directed  to  pursue, 
that  these  duties  must  be  performed  and  these  sacrifi- 
ces made?  If  they  are  equally  indispensable  to  the 
hope  of  eternal  life,  whatever  may  be  your  decisioa 
as  to  this  particular  question,  then  a  refusal  to  make 
tliem  amounts,  under  every  supposition,  to  a  forfei- 
ture of  all  hope  of  life.  Who  would  account  it 
w  isdom  to  incur  that  forfeit! 

But  though  a  profession  of  the  faith  of  Christ 
does  not  curtail  the  round  of  duties  incumbent  on 
you  as  rational  and  immortal  creatures,  { — if  it  did 
do  so,  it  were  totally  unworthy  confidence  or  re- 
gard— )  though  it  imposes  duties  peculiarly  its  own^ 
yet  it^does  not  therefore  present  a  discouraging  as- 
pect. It  possesses  vvithin  itself  abundant  facilities 
for  rendering  the  yoke  of  the  Saviour  easy  and  his 
burden  vei  v  light. 

1.     There  is^  iu  all  cases^  a  peace  and  a  confi- 


iQ2  The  Blessedness  of 

dence  arising  from  a  consciousness  of  having  done 
our  duty,  which  tend  in  the  very  nature  of  things  to 
render  the  most  arduous  lahour  tolerable,  and  the 
greatest  sacrifices  easy.     We  know  that  Christian^ 
ity  requires  nothing  more  of  us  than  it  requires  of 
the  sj3irits  who  are  already   freed   from    sin,   and 
safe  and  happy  before  the  eternal  throne;  or   than 
the  immutable  laws  of  righteousness  require    from 
beings  who  have  never  sinned.    Though   still    it 
must  be  acknowledged  that  there  are  many  things 
connected   with  the  present  state  which  render  our 
duty  much  more  arduous.     But  what,  we  pray  you, 
is  the  grand   secret  of  fidelity  and  happiness   in 
heaven?     Is  it  not  that   confidence    which    arises 
from  conscious  innocence,  and  from  a  sense  of  per- 
fect security  under  the  government  of  God?     There 
every  cherub  and  every  seraph  stand,  happy  in  the 
assurance  of  their  maker's   tenderness,   fully  con- 
tented with  the  honour  a  xl  felicity  which  wisdom 
and  goodness  allot  them  at  their  post,  and   ready 
to  employ  their  powers  and  iniiuence,  as  the  ser- 
vants  of  the  Almiglity,  in  aid  of  his  wise  and  mu- 
nificent and  general  purposes,  without  ever  think- 
ing of  driving  separate  purposes  and  interests  of 
their  own. 

But  were  rebellion  against  God  once  to  despoil 
theip  of  their  innocence,  all  confidence,  all  love,  all 
alacrity  in  the  service  of  Almighty  God  would  per- 
ish. It  is  confidence,  it  is  love,  that  nerves  them 
for  exertion^  and  renders  them;  while  occupied  in 


A  Christian  Professim,  193 

promoting  their  maker's  glory,   unmindful  of  themr 
selves. 

Now,  although  you  cannot  boast  the  innocence  of 
angels,  yet  the  plan  of  God's  salvation  aifords  }  ou  all 
the  advantages  that  innocence  yields  them.  You  too 
have  sufficient  reasons  to  love  and  trust  and  serve 
him;    sufficient  inducements,    therefore,  to  merge^ 
your  wishes  in  the  wise  purposes  of  heaven,  and  to 
expend  all  your  efforts  in  the  service  of  the  Saviour. 
l^his— this  is  the  grand  secret  of  rendering  that 
yoke  which  the  Saviour  imposes  easy,and  of  lighten- 
ing the  burdens  w^hich  he  bids  you  bear.  You  know 
that  where  love  burns    fervently,  and  confidence 
stands  firm,  we  can  make  many  a  sacrifice  without 
deeming  it  painful,   and  render  many  a  laborious 
service  without  feeling  it  oppressive;  though  these 
things  would  appear  most  grievous  were  not  the 
heart  enlisted. 

But,  tell  me,  you  who  refuse  to  assume  the  res- 
ponsibilities of  a  christian,  can  you  have  the  same 
degree  of  hope  in  God,  or  of  love  to  Jesus  Christy, 
as  if  you  felt  yourselves  in  the  line  of  your  du- 
ty? You  ask  him  for  his  salvation:  but  your  con- 
science forthwith  smites  you:  it  tells  you  of  your 
refusal  to  become  a  subject  of  that  kingdom  in 
which  salvation  is  professedly  administered.  You 
ask  the  Saviour  for  protection  and  for  blessing: 
but  you  are  an  alien  from  his  kingdom  while  you 
solicit  his  protection;  you  refuse  to  yield  him  ser- 
vice while  you  supplicate  his  blessing.     Can  you 


194i  The  Blessedness  of 

then  approach  with  the  same  degree  of  confidence? 
Can  you  rise  up  and  depart  with  the  same  cheerful- 
ness and  tenderness  playing  round  your  heart,  as 
if  you  felt  that  all  was  right;  that  you  were  taking 
the  way  he  bids  you  to  promote  your  own  salva- 
tion; and  that  you  w  ere  affording  this  evidence  of 
your  preparation  for  his  king«(om,  tliat  you  had  de- 
serted forever  the  ranks  of  the  rebellious,  and  ran- 
ged yourselves  with  those  who  are  trained  to  do 
his  will? 

My  dear  friends,  we  know  the  thing  to  be  utterly 
impossible.  You  are  yourselves  the  witnesses  of  this 
impossibility.  For  your  very  apprehensions  of  labor 
and  sacrifice,  the  bare  fact  that  you  need  the  assurance 
of  my  text,  shews  that  your  calculations  are  found- 
ed on  a  feeling  which  springs  from  any  thing  rather 
than  that  singleness  of  heart  and  fervor  of  devotion 
which  can   comp<)rt  with  nothing  but  the   hope   of 
the  obedient. — Would  you  prove  the  truth  of  Mes- 
siah's  declaration?    Then  take  the  course  he  bids 
you.     In  pursuit  of  your  salvation  assume  his  gen- 
tle yoke;  as  a  returning  penitent  take  up  his  bur- 
den; seize,  upon  christian  principles^  en  the  chris- 
tian hope;  then  see — see  if  his  assurance  will  not 
be  amply  justified!    see  if  you  cannot   serve  him 
with  alacrity,  when  conscience  no  longer  tells  you 
tjiat  you  are  di^^cbeying  and  dishcnoring  him!    see 
nf  the  lav/ of  love,  Unit  renders  labour  light  and 
sacrifices  easy,  wjll  not  render  the  service  of  your 
Saviour  most  delightful! 


A  Christian  Profession.  iQ3 

"2,  Call  to  your  aid  those  powerful  associations 
which  operate  so  beneficially  in  many  other  cases. 
You  are  now  a  stranger  to  tlie  covenant  of  promise, 
for  the  covenant  of  promise  is  given  to  the  church. 
You  are  yet  an  alien  from  the  commonwealth  of  Is- 
rael, and  yours  are  the  feelings  of  the  alien's  heart. 
What  stranger,  what  aliea,  ever  felt  the  same  inter- 
est in  the  population,  the  improvements,  or  the  his- 
tory of  a  country,  that  kindles  in  the  breast  of  eve- 
ery  high-minded  citizen!  What  stranger  has  not 
felt  how  cold  and  uninteresting  every  thing  appears 
to  liim  when  he  stands  by  himself,  unknown,  unno* 
ticed,  without  one  tie  to  bind  him  to  the  objects, 
and  without  a  feeling  of  common  interest  to  unite 
liim  with  the  people,  by  whom  he  is  surrounded.  1 
speak  on  this  subject  the  language  of  nature,  a  lan- 
guage understood  and  assented  to  by  all  the  world. 
Not  only  do  the  members  of  the  great  national  as- 
sociation, but  the  members  of  every  tribe  and  fam- 
ily, of  every  society  of  men  united  by  any  bonds 
for  any  purpose  whatsoever,  feel  for  one  another  and 
for  the  common  cause,  as  they  never  can  feel  while 
standing  by  themselves,  unconnected  with  the  mem- 
bers, and  uninterested  in  the  destiny  of  the  associa- 
tions which  they  contemplate. 

Now  wherefore  should  not  these  remarks  be  ve- 
rified in  an  alien  from  the  churcli  of  God,  as  well 
as  in  the  stranger  to  any  other  association?  Why 
should  it  not  be  that  I,  who  stand  as  a  member  of 
that  church  which  is  headed  by  the  Saviour,  and 


196  The  Blessedness  of 

endures  through  all  ages,  should  feel  an  interest  in 
her  history,  an  interest  in  her  destiny,  an  interest 
in  every  thing  that  bears  on  her  concerns,  as  lively 
and  commanding  as  human  beings  experience  in 
relation  to  any  otiier  association  with  which  they 
stand  connected?  Is  the  church  of  Grod  less  real 
than  any  of  those  grand  associations  whicli  you  dig- 
nify with  the  name  of  the  nations  of  the  earth?  Are 
the  ties  that  bind  me  to  the  church  of  God  less  ten- 
der or  less  strong  than  those  which  connect  you 
with  less  durable  institutions?  Are  the  purposes  to 
be  ejffected  by  the  church  of  God  less  important 
than  those  which  men  contemplate  under  relations 
of  a  different  kind? 

You  are  fully  aware  that  none  of  these  things  are 
so.  Unite  yourself  then  with  this  great  association, 
and  try  the  effect  of  it  in  lightening  the  duties  of 
the  christian  life.  Trace  back  her  history  to  the 
days  of  Abraham:  ponder  the  eventful  periods  of 
lier  story:  look  up  to  heaven  and  see,  Messiah 
lieads  her!  note  the  unnumbered  millions  still  mem- 
bers of  that  church,  who  after  having  borne  the 
yoke  on  earth  are  now  raised  to  nobler  service: 
think  what  multitudes  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth,  people  of  all  ranks,  and  conditions,  and  lan- 
guages, she  embraces  in  her  wide  extent:  see  all 
these  multitudes  united  in  one  destiny,  animated  by 
one  spirit,  cheered  by  one  hope,  regulated  by  one 
law,  aspiring  to  one  recompense:  see  them  moving 
^On  under  the  auspices  of  God's  Messiah:  jnark  the 


tS.  Christian  Profession,  197 

gearings  of  the  dities  you  are  called  to  recognise, 
and  of  the  sacrifices  you  are  required  to  make,  on 
the  character  and  destinies  of  millions:  see  all  these 
^jiyriads,  the  earthly  armies  of  the  captain  of  sal- 
vatiouj  perform  the  same  service,  make  the  same 
sacrifices:  See!  all  yon  shining  multitudes,  the 
bosts  of  the  redeemed,  once  made  the  same  election; 
having  counted  tlie  cost,  they  took  up  the  Saviour's 
yoke:  look  forward  to  the  day  in  which  Jesus 
Christ  shall  subject  all  people  to  himself:  they  will 
all  wear  liis  yoke,  they  will  all  bear  his  burden: — 
then  place  yourself  for  a  moment  in  the  midst  of 
these  vast  multitudes;  suppose  yourself  a  member 
of  this  mighty  congregation;  view  yourself  as  the 
successor  of  Apostles  and  martyrs,  a  sharer  in  com- 
mon with  the  redeemed  of  all  nations,  in  the  privi- 
leges and  toil  of  the  church  of  God  our  Saviour: 
let  these  thoughts  be  familiar  to  you:  feel  the  inter- 
est of  a  member  in  the  common  cause;  share  the 
prospects  of  a  member  in  the  common  salvation; 
cherish  the  devotion  of  a  member  to  the  common  ad- 
vantage; cultivate  the  attachment  of  a  member  to  the 
common  Lord: — then  say,  if  it  is  possible  that  his 
yoke  should  not  be  easy,  and  his  burden  light!  Say, 
when  you  look  upward  to  that  bright  company  now 
rejoicing  in  the  light  of  eternal  glory — say,  if  the 
devotedness  or  devotion  of  Apostles  and  Evangel- 
ists, of  your  Polycarps  and  Cyprians,  your  Angus- 
tines  and  Chrysostoms — their  little  services  and 
s.acrifices  of  three  score  years  an/.l  ten — are  to  Ue 


108  na  Blessedness  of 

regretted,  are  to  be  once  named,  during  all  these 
ages  of  their  eternal  triumph!  Say,  whether  in 
looking  over  this  vast  throng  of  worthies,  you  can 
find  notiiiog  to  console  and  nothing  to  sustain  yoa 
amid  duties  and  difficulties,  in  the  thought  that  they 
are  your  fellow-christians,  members  of  the  same 
vast  family,  and  only  your  superiors  by  an  earlier 
translation  into  that  eternal  world! 

3.  From  our  union  with  the  church  of  Christ  we 
derive  important  aid  in  all  the  ways  of  rightepus* 
ness.  You  are  well  aware  that  the  world  has  made 
a  difference  between  the  liberties  and  indulgences 
in  which  mankind  in  general  may  allow  them- 
selves, and  those  which  it  deems  appropriate  to 
4he  christian  character*  We  do  not  think  it  neces- 
sary to  prove  that  this  distinction  is  perfectly  fal- 
lacious. It  is,  indeed,  the  dictate  of  conscience, 
though  not  always  well  informed,  which  leads  the 
public  mind  to  establish  this  standard  of  peculiar 
purity  for  judging  the  actions  of  the  christian 
world*  In  the  main  this  standard  may  be  correct; 
and,  at  all  events,  the  adoption  of  it  serves  to  indi- 
cate the  strong  and  natural  revoltings  of  human 
feeling  against  associating  pretensions  to  purity  and 
the  fear  of  God,  with  courses  which  are  discerned 
to  be  incompatible  with  either.  But  the  error  con- 
sists in  thinking  that  aliens  from  the  church  of  Je- 
sus Christ  may  pursue  these  courses  without  injury 
and  without  offence.  Because;  if  the  courses  in  ques- 


ei  Christian  Profession.  199 

tion  be  not  wrong,  then  christian  principle  does  not, 
and  cannot,  prohibit  them.  And  if  they  be  wrong, 
the  very  law  tiiat  binds  the  christian  binds  all  oth- 
ers to  abstain  from  them.  On  every  head  they 
will  bring  down  the  guilt,  and  into  every  heart  tb^ 
evils,  which  they  are  supposed  to  entail  on  the 
person  of  a  christian. 

It  is,  however,  a  fact  that  the  world  makes  this 
distinction.  Now  mark  the  consequence.  Whilti 
you  remain  aliens  from  the  church  of  God  you  are 
expected  to  do  many  thhigs  which  your  conscien- 
ces condemn;  and  which  you  never  can  attempt  with- 
out inflicting  pain,  instead  of  deriving  the  pleasure 
that  is  sought  for.  You  are  besieged  by  hundreds 
eager  to  hale  you  away  with  tiiem  to  scenes  of  dis- 
sipation; you  are  called  upon  to  aid  in  the  promo- 
tion of  many  objects  which  you  feel  to  be  most  op- 
posite to  the  interests  of  true  goodness;  and  you  ar© 
incessantly  dragged  into  such  society  as  you  know 
to  be  most  unfriendly  to  your  eternal  weal.  How 
can  you  avoid  these  things?  Public  opinion  will 
inevitably  have  its  weight  with  you;  and  we  know 
well  the  standard  it  adopts  for  persons  without  the 
limits  of  the  church  of  God.  The  several  circles 
of  your  careless  friends  will  incessantly  besiegii 
you;  and  you  must  be  formed  of  materials  pecul- 
iarly unmanageable  if  they  do  not  succeed  in  bend- 
ing you  to  their  wishes. 

But  suppose  you   have  taken   post  within  the 
cliurch  of  Uod,     TUett  that  very  world,  thosD  very 


§00  The  Blessedness  of 

circles  of  acquaintances  and  friends^  who  would 
have  ten  thousand  times  seduced  you  to  violate  the 
dictates  of  an  enlightened  conscience,  immediately 
bring  forth  another  rule  ol  judgment  which  they  inr- 
sist  on  applying  most  scrupulously  to  your  conduct. 
Be  it  so.  Let  them  establish  themselves  at  their 
posts  of  observation.  Let  them  apply  most  rigor- 
ously the  new  rule  they  have  adopted.  Of  one 
thing  you  are  certain:  they  themselves  being  judg- 
es, you  ought  to  be  free  from  those  eager  solicita- 
tions with  which  they  formerly  besieged  you;  you 
ought  to  be  exempted  from  the  charges  of  bigotry 
and  narrowness  of  mind,  when  you  abstain  from 
courses  for  which  they  would  themselves  be  the  ve- 
ry first  to  censure  you;  you  ought  to  feel  no  diffi- 
culty in  setting  about  those  duties,  to  which  the 
opinions  of  the  Christian  and  unchristian  world 
conspire  to  point  your  way. 

And  while  a  profession  of  the  Christian  faith  re- 
lieves you  at  once  from  a  thousand  embarrassmente 
unfavorable  to  the  cultivation  of  piety,  you  derive 
incalculable  encouragement  and  support  from  your 
intercourse  and  connexion  with  other  members  of 
the  church.  Built  up  together  on  one  common 
foundation,  animated  by  one  common  hope,  you  can 
move  on  together,  heart  linked  with  heart,  and 
hand  joined  in  hand,  in  a  style  and  with  a  firm- 
iiess  which  it  would  be  idle  even  to  hope  for,  so 
long  as  you  stand  alone.  If  one  portion  of  the 
community  terms  your  uprightaess  preciseness,  and 


tH  Christian  Profession.  gOi 

your  piety  superstiiion,  there  is  still  another  and  a 
far  dearer  portion  whose  judgment  coincides  with 
the  dictates  of  your  conscience,  and  whose  appro- 
bation and  fellow-feeling  will  console  you  for  the 
pang  of  unmerited  reproach.  If  the  one  portion 
still  besieges  you  and  attempts  to  drag  you  away 
from  your  duty  and  your  hope,  there  is  still  another 
portion  whose  influence  and  example  minister  new 
strength  to  your  wavering  resolution. 

Be  persuaded  then,  my  dear  friends,  to  take  up 
the  Saviour's  yoke.  It  seems  terrible  to  you,  prin- 
cipally because  you  judge  from  present  feelingSo 
You  stand  like  a  stranger  in  a  land  of  strangers; 
you  shrink  instinctively  from  the  inquisitive  gaze  of 
every  passenger;  you  are  appaled  at  the  idea  of  the 
singularity  which  must  attach  to  you  provided  you 
yield  your  homage  and  services  to  the  Almighty. 
Flee  then  from  that  world  in  whose  ranks  you  arp 
still  numbered.  Fall  into  the  church  of  God.  Thea 
you  will  no  longer  stand  alone  and  a  stranger;  i\\^n 
you  will  breathe  freely  as  in  your  native  air;  then 
you  will  tread  firmly  as  on  the  land  of  your  fathers: 
and  the  imputation  of  singularity  will  only  then  at- 
tach to  you,  when  you  neglect  those  courses,  so  rea- 
sonable and  advantageous,  which  now  you  are  de- 
sirous but  fearful  to  attempt.  Fall  into  the  chuj  ch 
of  God,  and  your  station  will  be  the  antidote  to 
many  strong  temptations;  your  station  will  afford 
good  reason  for  taking  a  hi2;h  and  independent 
stand;   your  station   will  guaranty  to  yuu  the  aid 

A  a 


202  The  Biessedness  of 

and  the  sympathies  of  that  mighty  congregation j  the 
church  of  the  living  God.  To  say  ''I  am  a  chris- 
tian/ will  be  deemed  sufficient  reason  for  the  stand 
you  then  shall  take.  To  say  *I  am  a  christian,^ 
will  be  to  silence  with  a  word  ten  thousand  obser- 
vations painful  to  your  feelings,  and  to  repel  with- 
out farther  trouble  many  an  attempt  to  seduce  and 
to  destroy  you. 

4.  But  the  principal  advantages   resulting  fmm 
a  profession  of  the  christian  faith,  are  to  be  sought 
for  in  the  blessing  with  w  hich  Messiah  crowns  the 
institutions  of  his  wisdom.     You   do  not,  my  dear 
friends,  you  surely  cannot  suppose  that  the  several 
ordinances   of  the  christian  church,  to  which  none 
but  ioUowers  of  the  Saviour  in  profession  can  have 
any  s^iccess,  are  to  be  ranked  among  unmeaning  and 
unproiitMble  ceremonies.     You  would  not  so  ar- 
raign the  wisdom  of  God  as  to  impute  to  him  this 
childish  and  foolish  procedure!  You  surely  would 
not  call  in  question  the  Saviour's  faithfulness  to  ac- 
complish the   promises  which   he   seals    with    the 
symbols  of  his  great  salvation!     Then  admit — ^^ou 
must  admit— that  in  abstaining  from  the  fellowship 
of  the  christian  church,  you  cut  yourselves  off  from 
the  benefit  of  some  of  the  most  important  institu- 
fions  by  which  the  Saviour  guarantees  to  man  the 
performance  of  his  promises,  and  binds  their  affec- 
tion^  to  his  eternal  throne.   Do  not  ask  me  to  make 
out  to  you  the  advantages  flowing  from  ^'the  fellow- 


Jt  'Christian  Profession*  j^OS 

IsMp  of  saints"  with  one  another  and  with  the  comf 
inon  i^ord,  in  those  great  ordinances  so  peculi  uly 
christian.  If  the  Saviour  makes  the  tender  of  liis 
sanctifying  Spirit,  and  offers  you  as  tht  pledge  of 
it  the  water  of  his  baptism;  then,  if  there  be  mean- 
ing in  the  ordinance^  and  fidelity  in  the  author  of  it, 
I  cannot  hesitate  for  one  moment  to  believe  that  in 
rejecting  the  symbol  of  so  great  salvation,  you  los& 
the  reasonable  prospect  of  much  that  would  aid  you 
in  the  course  at  which  you  aim.  1  am  sure  that 
the  glory  of  unquestioned  faithfulness  is  concerned 
in  making  it  out  to  all  who  see  and  hear,  that  his 
pn>mise  of  that  Spirit  of  the  resurrection  and  the 
life  is  more  than  mere  words  of  course;  and  that 
the  guarantee  he  furnishes  you  in  the  water  of  his 
baptism  is  not  to  be  forgotten  like  some  mere  idle 
ceremony.  You  are  emboldened  to  seek  salvation, 
by  the  promise  he  has  given  you;  and  you  would 
devoutly  and  earnestly  seek  it,and  accept  of  it,  in  the 
way  of  his  appointment.  Can  it  then  be  in  vain 
that  you  attempt  it  in  that  way!  Is  there  no  longer 
faithfulness  in  heaven?  has  eternal  wisdom  laid  a- 
side  its  plans?  O  no.  So  certainly  as  you  have  the 
promise  of  that  Holy  Spirit, — -just  so  certainly  as 
you  receive  devoutly  lieaven*s  pledge  of  that  good 
Spirit, — so  certainly  shall  he  himself  come  down. 

iVnd  you  have  the  seal,  too,  of  forgiveness,  and 
of  grace  and  strength  to  aid  you  in  yonr  way,  iu 
the  symbols  of  Messiah  crucified  and  slain.  Do  not 
ff^elievc  for  a  single  moiiieiit  that  services  introdu* 


!2M  'Fhe  Blessedness  of 

ced  with  so  much  solemnity,  and  enjoined  with  so 
much  tenderness,  on  the  last  night  of  the  8a\i(  ui's 
life,  are  of  no  advantage  to  those  who  attend  upon 
them  with  the  simplicity  and  sincerity  of  christian 
feeling.  It  is  enough  that  the  Son  of  Grod  has  insti- 
tuted them  for  our  beneiit.  If  you  wish  for  proof 
of  the  fact  that  they  are  beneficial,  if  you  would 
know  the  various  ways  in  which  they  are  rendered 
serviceable,  you  must  dive  into  the  recesses  of  ma- 
ny anxious  bosoms,  you  must  fathom  the  varied  ex- 
perience of  all  ages. 

One  thing  we  do  know,  and  we  may  fairly  state 
it  in  connexion  with  this  discussion,  as  a  general 
truth.  *'The  Lord  loveth  the  gates  of  Zion,  more 
than  all  the  dwellings  of  Jacob. '^^  By  a  christian 
profession  you  honor  him  publicly.  By  a  christian 
profession  you  throw  all  your  influence  into  the 
right  scale;  and  thus  contribute  to  form  the  minds 
and  to  decide  the  judgments  of  all  with  whom  your 
ex  mple  would  have  any  weight.  By  a  christian 
p  'ession  you  help  to  fortify  the  mind,  and  to 
strengthen  the  purposes  of  multitudes  who  might 
b*^  despoiled  of  integrity  and  hope,  did  they  stand 
9  gle-handed  in  their  resistance  to  temptation. 
And  is  it  not  right  then  that  God  should  distin- 
guish with  large  and  peculiar  blessings,  those  who 
ai:e  most  efficient  in  the  promotion  of  his  cause?  Is 
it  not  right  that  he  should  shed  peculiar  influence 

^Psalm  Ixxxvii.  S. 


d  Vhristian  Profession*  jeOS 

on  the  multitudes  that  throng  the  gates  of  Zion;  so 
thit  others,  despairing  of  sharing  similar  blessings 
while  far  from  Zion's  gates,  may  be  induced  to  take 
their  stations  where  they  can  be  most  serviceable? 

My  dear  friends,  be  yourselves  the  judges  oii 
this  subject.  We  are  compelled,  indeed,  to  acknow- 
ledge that  within  the  ample  circuit  of  Messiah^$ 
church  there  are  multitudes  who  evidently  have  no 
business  there;  multitudes  who  wear  the  name  with- 
out manifesting  the  spirit  of  disciples  of  the  Sa- 
viour. These  the  church  in  her  charity  admits  ii |,^oa 
their  first  profession  of  the  faith  of  Christ,  because 
she  ^*hopeth  all  things,"  even  where  there  appears 
much  reason  to  be  doubtful.  These  the  church  in 
her  charity  still  retains,  because  she  is  desirous 
<Hhat  all  men  should  be  saved;  '  and  she  does  not 
proceed  hastily  to  cast  them  out,  because  she  •^•en- 
dureth  all  things  and  is  kind,''  in  the  hope  that 
there  may  still  be  in  them  some  principle  of  good- 
ness which  will  yet  display  them  under  different 
guise.  Still,  however,  you  must  and  will  concede 
for  the  experience  of  all  ages  sufficiently  attest:  the 
fact,  that  we  are  to  seek  for  the  brightest  exam- 
ples of  christian  intelligence  and  piety,  only  with- 
in the  circuit  of  the  christian  church.  And  you 
know  well  that  if  your  own  influence  is  to  be  ex- 
erted with  effect,  and  on  an  extensive  scale,  your 
proper  station  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  church. 

Look  back  to  other  ages,  look  abroad   upon  all 
places  wliere  a  banner  for  the  truth  has  ever  beeii 


Wi  The  Blessedness  of 

tinfurled.  By  whom  was  it  planted,  and  by  whom 
was  it  sustained?  Was  it  not  by  such  as  had  obeyed 
the  great  commandment,  ^come  bear  my  burden, 
come  wear  my  gentle  yoke'?  Could  you  suppose 
it  possible  that  all  people  had  once  reasoned  as 
^ome  of  you  are  at  present  disposed  to  reason,-— 
liad  said  that  they  could  do  their  duty  and  secure 
their  salvation  just  as  well  without  complying  with 
the  injunction  of  the  Saviour,- — where  to  day  had 
Jbeen  the  church  of  God?  Where  had  been  the  min- 
istry of  the  church  of  God?  Where  had  been  the 
jsymbols  of  God's  great  salvation? — View  the  mat- 
ter on  a  more  contracted  scale.  What  if  the  chui<ch 
«f  Jesus  Christ  had  never  taken  root  in  this  newly 
^settled  region!  Where  to-day  had  been  your  fear 
of  the  living  God?  Wliere  had  been  your  hope  of 
salvation  by  his  Son?  Tell  me!  would  not  those 
feelings  have  been  strangers  to  your  hearts,  which 
we  know  now  often  play  there  as  the  harbingers  of 
a  high  and  hallowed  hope?  Would  you  ever  have 
Iftsed  exertions  to  found  this  sanctuary  for  the  Lord 
of  Hosts?  Would  you  ever  have  raised  your  wish- 
es above  this  unhappy  and  unholy  world?  No! 
Grey  hairs  would  have  been  first  sprinkled,  then 
thickly  sown  upon  your  temples;  languor  and  fee- 
bleness, the  harbingers  of  death,  would  have  been 
making  their  advances  slowly  but  surely;  and  you 
—without  a  Saviour,  without  the  cheering  hope  of 
life  eternal,  without  the  glorious  prospect  of  the  re- 
sfurrectiou  from  the  grave — you  would  have  been 


S  Christian  Profession*  20^ 

at  this  hour  clinging^to  your  little  span  of  life;  yom 
hearts  would  have  been  now  cleaving  with  a  deaths 
grip  to  the  world:  for  it  is  all  that  would  have  been 
known  to  you,  worth  your  hopes  or  cares.  The 
grave  to  which  you  are  hastening  would  have  ap- 
peared to  you  like  the  mouth  of  a  cavern  dark  and 
bottomless,  a  cavern  of  many  horrors,  the  empire  of 
interminable  gloom. 

To  whom  do  you  owe  it  that  these  are  not  your 
feelings?  Is  it  not  to  them  who  have  borne  the  Sa- 
viour's burden,  and  worn  in  your  very  town  tlie 
yoke  which  he  imposes?  Many  of  them  have  long 
since  ceaed  from  all  their  labours:  but  the  fruit  oif 
their  toil  remains.  The  standard  which  they 
planted  still  floats  before  your  eyes.  And  you  hear 
Messiah's  voice.  And  you  place  your  dearest 
hopes  in  Vlessiah's  great  salvation.— It  is  thus  that 
obedience  to  the  Saviour  is  twice  blessed.  It  is 
blessed  in  ministering  to  the  eternal  salvation  of 
the  parties  themselves  who  '-hear  his  word,  and  dd 
it;"  and  it  is  blessed  in  spreading  wide  the  know- 
ledge of  salvation,  and  in  handing  down  to  suC"» 
ceeding  generations  the  legacy  he  has  left  for  all 
the  nations.  And  is  it  nothing  to  you  that  while 
you  cheerfully  take  the  road  his  sovereignty  and 
wisdom  have  clearly  pointed  ou  for  securing  your 
^  own  best  interests,  you  may  at  the  same  time  be  fa^ 
vored  with  the  additional  triumph  of  seeing  youc 
derision  m-ncing  a  deep  and  salutary  impression 
ou  ^ultitudG3  of  others;  and  iiiclitting  and  determi- 


-20B  The  Blessedness  of 

iiing  them  to  clioose  the  way  of  peace?  Were  not 
this  a  mighty  recompense,  although  it  were  the 
whole?  Would  it  not  be  much  to  you  that  "the  cap- 
tain of  salvation'^  thus  afforded  you  the  privilege  of 
sharing  with  himself  the  labour  of  ministering  bles- 
sings— innumerable  blessings — everlasting  bles- 
sings,— ^to  a  world  of  woe?  But  this  is  not  the 
whole  of  "the  recompense  reserved.^'  It  is  written 
that  while  "they  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the 
brightness  of  the  firmament/^  "they  that  turn  ma- 
ny to  righteousness''  shall  inherit  greater  glory; 
they  shall  decorate  that  firmament;  they  shall  be 
rendered  conspicuous  far  beyond  the  common  mass; 
they  shall  shine  "as  the  stars  forever  and  ever/'* 
There  is  no  principle  more  clearly  settled  in  scrips 
ture  than  this,  that  the  degrees  both  of  misery  and 
felicity,  of  glory  and  degradation,  in  the  world  to 
come,  shall  be  apportioned  with  the  most  minute 
and  scrupulous  exactness  to  our  deservings  whiW 
dwellers  here.  The  propriety  of  this  arrangement 
in  the  world  of  woe,  will  not,  of  course,  be  ques- 
tioned. But  it  is  not  less  true  of  the  world  of  light 
and  love.  Salvation  by  Messiah  has  not  in  any 
measure  affected  this  equitable  standard,  nor  pre- 
cluded its  application  to  the  deeds  of  those  who  are 
saved  by  his  grace.  This  we  have  made  out  to  you 
on  more  than  one  occasion;  and  we  need  not  now 
stop  to  prove  or  explain  it.     But  if  it  be  a  fact  that 

^^J)av,  xii.  a 


^  0hristian  Profession^  S'Q'g 

every  deed  of  goodness  shall  be  remembered  and 
rewarded  at  the  resurrection  of  the  just,  then  how 
jnuch  more  that  systematic  course  which  is  fraught 
with  blessings  to  multitudes  now  unhappy! 

5,  Finally:  while  piety  is  cultivated  most  suc- 
cessfully and  certainly  within   the  limits  of  thei 
church  of  Christ;  all  the  advantages  which  accrue^ 
to  piety  accrue  so  much  the  more  abundantly  and 
certainly  to  the  sincere  professors  of  the  faith  of 
Christ.     Ypu  must  have  observed,  my  brethren^ 
that  in  the  course  of  this  discussion  we  have  not 
touched  on  any  of  the  blessings  connected  with  pi- 
ety, considered  in  itself.     We  do  not  mean  to  touchi 
upon  them.     It  is  the  business  of  years,  it  is  the- 
aim  of  every  effort  we  make  from  week  to  week,  it 
is  the  business  of  our  lives,  to  shew  you  in  detaiX 
that  the  ways  of  wisdom  are  the  only  ways  of  plea- 
santness, and  that  the  paths  of  wisdom  are  truly 
paths  of  peace.     Our  business  to-day  is  not,  there- 
fore, with  the  privileges  or  blessings  of  christian!* 
ty  considered   simply  as  the  religion  of  a  sinner^ 
or  as  a  matter  which  exists  between  God  and  our 
own  hearts;  but  with  Christianity  as  it  is  mai'shaled^ 
openly  and  professedly,  in  the  service  of  Jesu» 
Christ.     We  have  only  therefore  to  entreat  you  to 
review  in  their  order  all  the  blessings  that   flow 
from  christian  piety,  not  only  for  this  world,  but  for 
that  which  is  to  come;  and  thence,  for  yourselves^ 
to  infer  the  importance  and  the  blessedness  .f  thjit 

3> 


M^  The  Blessedness  of 

open  avowal  of  ^ouv  allegiance  to  the  Savrour 
which  in  promoting  so  mightily  piety  itself  must 
promote  no  less  mightily  the  peace  and  glory  which 
true  piety  secures. 

Meanwhile  take  one  thing  for  granted.  It  is  not 
an  hard  master  you  are  called  to  serve.  The  very 
assurance  which  constitutes  my  text  hears  testimo- 
ny to  the  sym.pathy  which  animates  his  hosom^ 
And  if  he  sympathizes  with  you — with  you  who 
are  not  his  people, — with  you  who  never  served 
hi  ^i, — with  you  who  still  refuse  to  honor  him, — if 
he  sto«|>s  tVom  the  throne  of  his  triumphs  to  assure 
you  that  you  mistake  entirely  the  nature  of  the  ser- 
vice  in  which  he  would  employ  you,  now  can  you 
deem  it  likely  that  he  will  sympathize  less  tender- 
ly with  the  people  of  his  care?  Do  you  believe  that 
Jesus  Christ  will  he  less  tender  of  the  feelings  of 
those  who  love  and  honour  him,  of  those  who  trust 
and  serve  him,  than  of  those  who  love  him  not? — 
Is  this  the  liberality  of  God  our  Saviour,  to  take 
the  smallest  interest  in  his  most  faithful  servants? 
Qr  rather,  is  this  the  liberality  which  you  bring  in» 
to  play,  when  you  construe  his  character?  We  know 
very  well  the  answer  that  common  sense  would 
dictate.  Then  let  the  procedure,  the  uniform  pro- 
cetlure  of  Almighty  providence  be  the  comment  on 
thf4>t  answer.  Remember  that  all  power  in  heaven 
ftnd  on  earth  is  lodged   with  Jesus  Christy*  the 

^Mattlu  xxviii.  18. 


Ji  Christian  Profession,  ^1.1 

hfearts  of  all  flesh  are  in  the  hands  of  Jesus  Clinst^ 
jesus  Christ  still  cherishes  the  recollection  of  hifi 
6wu  sorrows  that  he  may  cherisli  the  warmer  fel- 
low feeling  for  our  sufferings:*  and  it  can  therefore 
never  be  that  he  who  on  the  last  night  of  his  afflicted 
life  almost  merged  his  sorrows  in  his  sympathy  for 
the  griefs  of  his  desponding  friends,  and  devoted 
whole  hours,  his  own  last  sad  hours,  to  enlighten 
and  console  them— no,  it  can  never  be  that  he  has^ 
now  lost  in  tenderness  what  he  has  acquired  in  glo- 
ry. \  All  ages  will  testify  how  he  contrives  to  ho- 
nour them  who  honour  himf :  and  many  a  grateful 
heart  will  attest  his  skill  and  kindness  in  attemp- 
ering the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb.  The  difficulties 
that  present  themselves  in  the  service  of  the  Sa- 
viour, only  look  terrible  when  you  view  them  at  a 
distance.  Them  only  you  first  see.  But  if  they  do 
not  frighten  you  from  the  the  strait-forward  path,  if 
you  can  attack  them  faithfully,  though  it  may  be  not 
toldly,  you  will  find  that  their  aspect  was  as  decep- 
tive as  forbidding;  you  will  discover,  on  the  ap- 
proach, that  providence  has  marshaled  other  force 
to  aid  you;  you  will  find  it  a  very  easy  thing  to  do 
a  Christianas  duty,  if  your  heart  be  right  with  God. 
Jesus  Christ  still  makes  common  cause  with  all  hi^ 
people.  He  carefully  accommodates  their  duties 
to  their  circumstances,  their  trials  to  their  strength; 
and  if  sometimes  his  providence  seems  to  falsify 

^Heh,  ii.  18.  ^  iv.  If         fSam.  ii.  30. 


Sljg  5rfee  jBlesseiness  of 

tis  word,  if  sometimes  the  burden  appears  very  fai' 
from  light,  let  it  only  be  remembered  that  it  is  his 
promise  to  ^^increase  strength  to  them  that  have  no 
might,*''  and  then  all  Will  again  seem  straight. 

Come,  then,  be  persuaded  to  wear  the  Saviour^s 
^oke!  Cotne,  make  trial  of  the  burden  of  Jesus 
Christ!  It  is  not  into  the  society  of  these  few  Chris- 
tians alone  that  we  invite  you:  it  is  into  a  society 
.composed  of  ^^an  innumerable  company  of  angels^ 
of  the  general  assembly  and  church  of  the  first  born 
which  are  written  in  heaven,  of  the  spirits  of  just 
men  made  perfect,  and  of  Jesus  Christ  the  me- 
diator OF  THE  NEW  covenant/'I  All  the^c 
liave  borne  the  burden,  and  to  some  of  them  it  Was 
heavy;  but  "the  mediator  of  the  new  covenant''  was 
tiot  slack  to  increase  their  might.  All  these  have 
worn  the  yoke,  and  to  some  of  them  it  was  griev- 
ous, to  Jesus  Christ  himself  it  was  a  most  grievous 
oii6,  but  he  himself  ^^endured  it,  despising  the 
tehame,  for  the  glory  &et  before  him,"  and  to  his  Ut- 
ile brothers  and  to  the  sisters  of  his  affection  he  has 
never  yet  been  backward  to  render  it  full  easy. 
Believe  Jesus  Christ:  he  tells  you  it  is  easy. 
I  know  how  you  will  answer  me:  ^We  do  not  doubt 
but  that  it  is  our  duty  to  comply  with  the  injunc- 
tion;' ^we  do  not  doubt  but  that  the  Saviour's  words 
are  true, — his  yoke  is  easy,  his  burden  is  light.' 
■^i^i  we  doubt  our  present  fitness  to  profess  the 

^-  ^HsaiQJi  xl.  S9.        t^eJ.  xii.  g^— §4. 


K^  Cthristian  Profes^toit,  ^0 

Saviour^s  name;  and  we  are  fearfully  apprehen- 
sive lest  in  some  sad  hour  we  should  wound  ther 
Saviour^s  cause.^ — Yes,  no  doubt  but  that  you  arc 
Unfit;  if  it  be  unfitting  that  a  sinner  should  apply 
to  him  who  came  ^^not  to  call  the  righteous,  but 
suinersy  to  repentance.'^*  Yes,  your  apprehen- 
sions are  abundantly  well  founded;  if  indeed  there 
are  courses  which  you  are  determined  to  pursue^ 
knowing  them  to  be  contrary  to  the  laws  of  Jesu«^ 
Christ.  Yes,  if  it  be  your  purpose  to  promote  the 
service  of  the  Saviour  only  at  such  times  and  in, 
such  measure  as  may  suit  you,— if  it  be  your  pur- 
pose to  select  from  his  institutions  such  parts  as  yoa 
approve  or  do  not  violently  dislike, — then  the  ob- 
jection is  a  good  one.  It  is  true  that  the  course  is 
neither  safe  nor  honest  which  is  predicated  on  an 
attempt  to  associate  together  worldly  tempers  and 
the  tempers  of  the  Christian,  worldly  maxims  and 
the  maxims  of  Jesus  Christ.  You  Avill  recollect 
that  both  our  guilt  and  misery  consist  in  swerving 
from  our  allegiance  to  the  Eternal  Majesty,  and  in 
regulating  our  movements  by  our  passions  or  sup- 
posed interests.  And  if  you  do  not  mean  to  adopt 
as  your  own  that  principle  of  devotedness  and  sin- 
gleness of  heart  which  wields  the  armies  of  the. 
living  God,  it  is  vain  and  worse  than  vain  to  give 
in  your  names  as  soldiers  of  the  cross.  It  is  vain 
to  think  of  pursuing  m  ithout   hazard,  under  tho- 


Sanction  of  a  christian  profession,  courses  whicH 
bring  destruction  on  ^^the  World  which  lietli  in  w  ick^ 
edness.''  We  are  indeed  most  unfit  to  profess  the 
faith  of  Christ,  while  all  our  purposes  and  wished 
aim  at  another  object.  It  is  well  to  be  careful  o^ 
wounding  by  our  follies  the  cause  of  Jesus  Christ, 
while  we  expect  that  to  these  follies  we  will  reso- 
lutely cleave.  Better  say  at  once  ^adieu  to  the 
ehurch  of  Grod:^  ^a  long  adieu  to  Messiali^s  easy 
yoke:'  ^adieu  forever  to  God's  great  salvation.^ 
Yes!  adieu  to  God's  salvation!  For  salvation 
brings  us  back  to  "the  obedience  of  tht  faith:" 
salvation  was  only  needed  because  we  had  wander- 
ed from  our  duty  to  the  Creator:  and  if  we  are  still 
resolved  to  wander,  then  it  is  most  true  that  We  are 
Unfit  to  profess  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ;  and  it  is 
of  all  things  most  likely  that  we  should  only  wound 
his  cause.  My  fellow  mortals,  are  you  prepared 
for  this? 

But  perhaps  your  minds  are  labouring  with  a 
different  sentiment.  Perhaps  you  would  most  wil- 
lingly  return  to  your  allegiance,  and,  like  simple- 
hearted  seraphs,  make  the  Father  of  your  spirits 
the  centre  of  all  your  movements:  but  fear  lest  in 
attempting  it  you  should  err  for  lack  of  knowledge, 
and  so  miss  the  desired  acceptance;  or  that  after 
having  professed  your  faith  in  the  Redeemer,  you 
should  fall  through  strong  temptation.  Then^- 
THEN — we  have  afar  different  answer  for  you.  To 
whom  are  you  to  go  for  wisdom  to  direct  you^  if 


S:  Christian  Profession*  ^igf 

not  to  "the  teacher  come  from  God''?  On  what 
are  you  to  rely  for  strength  against  temptation,  If 
not  on  the  grace  of  Jesus  Christ?  Where  are  yon 
so  likely  to  be  placed  beyond  the  reach  of  the  temp- 
tations you  most  fear,  as  in  the  bosom  of  the  church 
of  God?  And,  after  all,  suppose  you  should  fall  in- 
to many-fold  temptation^,  suppose  you  should  sink 
under  them,  and  thus  wound  the  cause  of  Christy 
whence  are  you  so  likely  to  derive  strength  for 
your  recovery  as  from  the  master  whom  you  serve? 
And  who  wdll  be  so  likely  to  sympathize  with  yon 
in  your  sorrows,  and  to  encourage  and  aid  you  i^ 
your  recovery,  as  your  fellow  servants  in  Christ 
Jesus,  who  feel  themselves  "compassed  with  th© 
same  infirmities"? 

But  indeed  it  is  needless  to  reason  about  tliisr 
matter.  You  cannot  find  any  where  in  scripture 
Hn  assurance  th^t  you  may  ever  attain  to  a  condir 
tion  in  which  this  plea  would  not  be  equally  valid> 
You  will  no  where  find,  in  all  the  scripture,  the 
record  of  one  follower  of  God  our  Saviour  w  ho  de- 
mured  upon  this  plea: — not  among  the  thousands 
by  whom  "with  wicked  hands  he  was  crucified  and 
slain:"  not  among  the  myriads  of  the  pagan  world, 
who  under  the  ministry  of  the  Apostles  laid  hoM 
on  this  salvation.  They  acted  at  once,  and  with- 
out  any  hesitation.  Be  these  the  exemplars  you 
will  copy,  if  in  earnest.  Put  your  trust  in  Linn 
who  was  never  yet  known  to  break  the  brni  ed 
r^ed;  or  queiich  the  spark  that  tips    t|ie  sjnoking 


gi6  2%e  Blessedness  of 

wick.  Trust  liini,  O  reed!  however  sorely  brokeni;: 
and  see  if  he  will  not  make  thy  feebleness  his  care! 
Trust  him,  0  spark!  now  fainting  to  the  death; 
And  see  if  his  breath  will  not  rouse  thee  into  flamef 
Bow  then  to  the  Saviour,  and  leave  results  with  him. 
The  best  pledge  we  can  give  of  the  sincerity  of  our 
professions,  is  that  we  do  his  will.  The  best  as- 
surance that  we  will  walk  faithfully  hereafter,  is 
that  we  are  faithful  now. 

I  see  some  of  you  who'  are  already  growing 
white  for  the  scythe  of  that  fell  labourer  who  mows 
the  nations  down.  And  you  have  not  yet  resolved 
to  fall  into  your  proper  place!  With  you,  surely 
WITH  YOUjif  with  any  beings  upon  earth,  this  ought 
to  be  a  mandate  pleasing  to  your  ears  and  sacred  in 
your  eyes.  You  still  have  it  in  your  power  to  do 
iinspeakable  good.  Only  resolve  to  be  for  God 
and  his  Messiah;  lay  hold  for  yourselves  on  the 
great  salvation  tendered  to  the  nations;  then  conse- 
crate your  hearts  and  your  efforts  to  his  service  from 
whom  you  now  especially,  in  the  wane  of  your  last 
hours,  must  hope  for  almost  every  thing  that  youi 
can  hope  at  all.  O  you  have  done  wrong  to  with- 
hold from  God's  Messiah  the  pith  and  vigour  of 
your  days,  and  leave  him  only  the  poor  remnant 
that  you  can  bestow  no  other  way!  Nevertheless 
COME  IN.  Self-accusing  wanderer!  worn-out,  de- 
<:repit  labourer,  whom  no  master  will  employ!  ^'at 
the  eleventh  hour"  come  in.  Come  into  the  vine^ 
i?ard  of  the  X4ord  of  Hosts.    What  au  irapulsQ 


«5  Christian   Profpsswn.  %i^ 

would  it  give  to  the  feelings  of  our  youth,  what  a 
glory  would  it  shed  through   the  borders  of  youp 
town,  were  you  at  last  to  take  your  station  where 
you  should  have  long  since  been! — You  venerable 
men,  whose  green  old  age,  whose  heads  just  silver- 
ing, announce  the  sober  stillness  of  a  declining  sun, 
you  now   take  little   interest  in   scenes    you  soon 
must  quit.     It  is  too  late  to  plunge  into  the  vortex 
of  ambition;  and  your  relish  for  the  gayeties  of  life 
has   fled.     Down  sinks  your  sun,  as   you  labouj:' 
down  the  hill  of  life;   and   you  have  prepared  no 
lamp  to  light  you  up  the  hill  of  heaven.  Come,  take, 
another   course!     Come,    choose    another   master! 
Come,  lend  your  influence, — you  have  yet  a  mighty 
influence — to  the  best  of  causes!     Come  in,  fellow- 
labourers!  it  is  now  your  eleventh  hour.      What  aa 
impulse  would  YOU  give  to  the  feelings   of  our 
youth!  what  a  glory  might  YOU  shed  through  the 
borders  of  this  town!   Come  and  occupy  your  minds 
— come  kindle   a  new  interest  for  this   world  in 
which  you  dwell — by  becoming  the  noble    organs 
of  immortal    charity!     Come!  and  let  your  actions 
declare  to  tliese  young  men,  and  to  these  maidens 
full  of  hopes  which  they  will  never — never  realize, 
that  you  know  of  nothing  worthy  the  serious  efforts 
of  an  immortal    creature   b  it   the  inheritance  that 
will  remain  to  it  when  reverend  age  and  sprightly 
youth  are  alike  torgotten  in  the    tomb.     At  the 
EI  F*  EXTH  HOUR  come  bear  the  Saviour's  burden; 

and  though  death's  marble-making  bawl  shall  aji'- 

Cc 


^£8  The  Blessedness  of 

rest  your  eager  steps  and  deposit  for  you  the  bur- 
den far  short  of  its  destined  pl?xe,  yet  you  shall 
again  revive  to  bless  your  maker's  liberality  when 
with  unsparing  hand  he  rewards  your  hour  of  toil. 
Come!  we  have  employments  to  cheer  your  waneing 
days:  employments  of  such  a  character  that  high 
and  hallowed  hope  may  renew  a  strong  pulsation 
in  frames  grown  languid  with  the  toil  of  years^ 
and  hearts  once  more  be  made  to  thrill  with  ecsta- 
sy, that  once  you  thought  would  never  thrill  again. 
O  wanderer  without  employment,  and  without  an 
eternal  home,  at  the  eleventh  hour  come  in! 
So  your  evening  sun  shall  set  in  radiant  glory. 
While  still  a  labourer  here,  many  young  cherubs 
- — these  young  c]ieruhs!-s\\fx)l  cleave  to  you,  shal 
listen  to  you,  shall  love  you:  these  cherubs  shal 
bear  you  company  to  the  borders  of  the  grave:  and 
there  you  will  exchange  them  for  hosts  of  mightier 
cherubim!  The  cherubim  of  Grod,  in  all  their  glitter* 
Ing  panoply,  will  encircle  your  glad  spirit  and  hear 
you  company  on  high.  Venerable  friends,  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  come  in! 

Young  Men!  will  you  not  profit  by  the  Sa- 
viour's invitation?  He  frankly  tenders  you  an  honor- 
able service.  He  puts  it  in  your  power  to  do  in- 
calculable good.  Some  of  you  have  already  toiJed 
in  a  most  thankless  office.  You  have  done  it  cheer- 
^fully.  You  have  even  solicited  the  distinction  with 
no  common  ep:^emess.  And  others  of  you  are  as 
eager  to  enter  on  the  same  course. — i.<et  tn^enty 


A  Christian  Profession.  219 

^ears  roll  round,  and  all  your  service  is  forgotten: 
and  of  all  your  labours  not  one  trace  is  left.  And 
it  is  well — it  icill  be  very,  very  well — if  this  be  all 
the  evil  you  will  be  compelled  to  mourn.  But  you  have 
yourselves  seen  many  instances  in  which  distinctions 
earned  with  toil  could  not  be  preserved  in  any  mea- 
sure of  security,  unless  their  liapless  possessor,  in 
order  to  retain  them,  made  the  sacriilce  of  principle, 
of  conscience,  of  self-respect.  You  know  well  that 
in  toiling  for  the  distinctions  of  this  world,  you 
must  bid  adieu  to  tranquility,  if  not  to  independ- 
ence. You  know  that  the  most  faithful  and  able 
services  are  speedily  forgotten,  if  you  do  not  hold 
yourselves  in  readiness  to  fall  in  w:tii  eveiy  impulse 
which  the  deceitful  or  the  daring  may  give  to  tlie 
public  niind.---And  what  is  your  assurance  that 
you  will  reach  the  giddy  heights  toward  which  so 
many  clamber,  while  so  few  can  possibly  be  seated 
on  them?  Why  hazard  the  competition,  when  that 
competition  is  frauglit  with  tem])taiion3,  beleaguered 
With  dangers,  and  coupled  with  the  utmost  uncer- 
tainty of  success?  If  your  love  of  glory  docs  not 
burn  too  ardently,  if  it  act  not  en  your  better  feel- 
ings as  a  devouring  flame,  we  h.ave  nothing  to  op- 
pose to  your  acceptance  of  public  honours.  You 
may  not  only  retain  them  in  consistency  with  your 
allegiance  to  a  higher  power,  but  you  may  employ 
them  as  instruments  of  the  greatest  good.  But  let 
them— let  tiiem  "'Come  unsought  for,  if  they  come 
aT.  ail.''  For  after  all.  the  account  ya^t  submitted  t& 


^^0  The  Blessedness  of 

you  of  the  tenure  by  which  you  hold  them  is  un- 
doubtedly correct.  And  even  though  in  your  case 
it  should  not  happen  as  it  does  in  most^  though  you 
were  borne  along  triumphantly  on  the  breath  of 
public  fame;  though  your  measures  were  all  wise, 
and  successful,  and  applauded;  though  your  admin- 
istration should  continue  the  model  for  other  ages, 
and  your  works  remain  as  monuments  for  future 
men  to  gaze  at:  yet  know  that  all  this  glory  must  be 
obscured  in  dim  forge tfulness,  while  you  yourself 
still  live,  live  on  forever,  without  the  wages  of  your 
toil. 

"O  it  is  strange, 
'Tis  passing  strange,  to  mark  man's  fallacies. 
Behold  him  pr uudly  view  some  pompous  pile, 
Whose  high  dome  swells  to  emulate  the  skies, 
And  smile  and  say,  my  name  shall  live  with  this 
Till  time  shall  be  no  more:   while  at  his  feet. 
Yea    AT  HIS  VKRY  FEET,  the  crumbling  dust 
Of  the  fall'n  fabric  of  the  other  day 
Preaches  the  solemn  lesson.— He  should  linow 
That  time  must  conquer.     That  the  loudest  blast 
That  ever  fillM  Renown's  obstreperous  trump 
Fades  in  the  lapse  of  ages,  and  expires.' 


?? 


Come  then,  enter  a  service  in  which  every  effort 
makes  a  durable  impression;  in  which  uprightness, 
not  suppleness,  is  the  grand  secret  of  succeeding; 
in  which  every  labour  of  love  is  f rang]) I;  with  two- 
fold blessingj — with  everlasting  blessing  on  the 
head  of  him  who  serves,  and  with  the  blessedness 
of  contemplating  th)p  happy  bearing  of  his  services 
®n  ihe  character  and  destinies  of  other  itiimortal  be- 


«^  Christian  Profession,  SSI 

xngs,  who,  but  for  the  example,  might  have  wander- 
ed on  till  they  perished  in  their  hlood. — Take  hut 
your  station  in  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ:  conduct 
as  becomes  a  follower  and  a  lover  of  the  Lamb* 
and  trust  him  for  the  remembrance  and  remunera- 
tion of  your  toils,  in  the  day  when  the  bistre  cf  all 
worldly  greatness  sliall  be  quenched  in  endless 
night. 

And  you,  who  to  day  are  to  consecrate  your- 
selves to  the  service  of  that  Saviour! — and  you,  the 
other  members  of  a  little  band  whoui  my  heart  must 
ever  bold  in  most  endeared  remembrance! — may  you 
well  and  truly  test  the  truth  of  this  assurance,  that 
your  Saviours  yoke  is  easy,  and  his  burden  very 
light.  Once  bound  to  one  another  by  a  diiferent 
bond,  the  feelings  you  then  cultivated  have  never 
lost  their  force.  Long  have  you  waited  in  this  sanc- 
tuary of  the  Most  High.  Amidst  every  revoiutioa 
of  prospects  and  of  sentiment  you  have  still  been 
here.  In  the  midst  (jf  every  discouragement,  diffi- 
culty and  trial,  a  sister's  sympathy  has  glowed  la 
every  breast,  a  sister's  solicitude  has  beamed  from 
every  eye.-  When  this  house  has  been  thinned, 
when  you  sat  almost  alone,  still  have  I  seen  you, 
dear  and  little  band!  firmer  than  veterans  at  the 
post  which  you  had  chosen.  Why  should  I  not 
to-day  raise  a  monument  to  your  affection,  and  re- 
cord on  it  the  emotions  of  one  who  loves  you  ten- 
derly? Why  should  I  not  rejoice  in  the  feeling  that 
you  have  cultivated;  when  I  see  that  it  has  been 


222  The  Blessedness  of 

wielded  by  the  God  of  all  salvation  to  tlie  best  of 
all  results?  Why  may  I  not  lift  high  ^^the  voice  of 
joy  and  thanksgiving/'  when  I  see  a  portion  of  that 
band — my  own  cherubic  band— coming  forward  a- 
mong  the  first  to  own  the  faith  of  the  Redeemer^  and 
embark  for  life  eternal  in  the  church  of  the  liv- 
ing God?  O  may  it  be  indeed  for  that  eternal 
life!  And  may  all  of  you  come  in!  May  the  ro* 
ses  of  your  youth  then  acquire  their  loveliest  tinge^ 
when  your  hearts  beat  high  in  a  cause  so  high  and 
holy!  \  nd  may  those  roses  be  resuscitated  to  bloom 
in  yet  lovelier  and  immortal  dies,  in  the  day  wheii 
Messiah  shall  summon  you  to  rise  and  take  your 
station  in  his  eternal  kingdom!  Little  band,  may 
none  of  you  be  lacking!  But  when  I,  as  God's  min» 
ister,  must  give  in  my  last  account;  When  I  usher 
this  one  and  that  one  before  the  eternal  throne: 
when  m.ost  happy  in  presenting  many  of  these  my 
brethren,  these  people  of  my  charge,  then  fully 
prepared  for  the  light  oT  God's  salvation:  then  may 
it  be  mine  to  take  you  each  one  by  the  hand— vou, 
whose  solicitudes  have  oftentimes  cheered  a  sorrow- 
ful and  desponding  spirit — you,  Who  are  coming 
with  the  very  first  to  submit  yourselves  to  the  gov- 
ernment of  God's  own  Messiah — may  it  be  mine  to 
talte  you  each  one  by  the  hand,  and  lead  you  for- 
ward to  your  Father's  and  your  Brother's  throne! 
Come  forwardj  then,  and  assume  your  Saviour's 
yoke!  Come  and  declare  to  all  this  people  tliat 
you  M'ill  bear  his  burden!    The  courage  of  that  8n.- 


*5  Christian  Profession.  223 

viour  did  not  forsake  liim  for  a  moment,  when  he 
went  forth  before  the  people  wearing  a  crown  of 
thorns  for  you.  The  compassion  of  that  Saviour 
did  not  die  within  him,  when  he  struggled  up 
Mount  Calvary  bearing  his  cross  for  you. — And 
your  courage,  your  gratitude,  will  not  fail  you  at 
this  hour,  when  you  rise  to  take  your  station  in  his 
glorious  kingdom,  and  pledge  your  fealty  to  the 
felon  of  God.  Come  then,  my  dear  young  friends, 
come  assume  your  Saviour's  yoke!  May  the  God 
of  all  salvation  enable  you  to  wear  it  worthily!  And 
may  your  gallant  bearing  prove  how  light  it   is! 


APPENDIX. 


THE  view  so  rapidJy  sketched  in  the  fifth  of  the  fore° 
going  series  of  discourses,  has  been  deemed  of  suffici^^nt 
importance  to  call  down  upon  its  author  ttie  castigati  'is 
of  many  wise  and  mighty.  Anoiig  those  who  have  th  >ugit 
it  right  to  express  th*  ir  opinion  in  very  strong  and  dr  i- 
ded  language,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gray,  late  oi  Philadelphia^ 
holds  the  most  prominent  place.  That  gentleman  was 
not  a  member  of  any  of  the  couts  which  sat  in  judg  a*  nt 
on  the  case;  but  he  thought  it  needful  to  follow  up  the  de- 
cision of  the  General  Synod  of  the  Associat  -Reformed 
Church,  with  a  work  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  pa- 
ges, in  which  he  \evy  plainly  intiinates  that  he  has  admin- 
istered an  effectual  quietus  to  the  novel  heresy. 

^•The  fiend'^  of  Dr.  Gray  displays  ;nuc!i  more  candor 
And  good  temper  than  we  are  in  the  habit  of  ascribing^ 
generally,  to  beings  of  that  class:  and  when  it  was  under- 
stood that  such  a  being  was  about  to  stalk  f>rth  among  tie 
churches,  large  calculations  vere  made  in  relation  to  ti»e 
feats  it  would  perform;  not  only  by  those  of  whose  ca  isg 
it  was  deemed  the  champion,  but  by  all  who  took  dny 
interest  in  the  controversy,  and  were  aware  of  the  d  '- 
scrvedly  high  reputation  of  Dr.  G  ay.  And  it  mus^  bo 
confessed  that  this  production  has  effected  one  thing  f  es- 
sential service.  It  has  disencumbered  the  present  cont^  •  > 
versy  of  that  vast  and  heterogeneous  m  i^s  of  errors  and 
absurdities  with  which  the  first  movers  had  contrived  t© 


'^"^Q  State  of  the  Qiiestion> 

"burden  it;  ai^d  assistc  d  to  place  the  only  question  tliat 
ought  ever  to  have  been  agitated,  distinctly  and  singly  be- 
fore the  public  mind.  Tliis  obliga  ion  to  tiie  candor  and 
good  sense  of  Dr.  Gray  the  writer  is  happy  to  acknowl- 
edge. And  had  the  same  spirit  of  discrimination  attend- 
ed the  autlior  of  **ihe  fii  nd"  in  his  progress  through  his 
numerous  pages,  he  would  liave  confertd  upon  his  res- 
pondent the  additional  obligation  of  being  saved  from  the 
necessity  of  further  interference  in  a  very  unpleasant  and^ 
perliaps,  useless  co^itroversy. 

But  while  Dr.  Gray  has  fairly  and  judiciously  separa- 
ted th^  question  on  v/hich  we  difik  r  from  the  many  extra- 
3i(ous  matters  with  which  it  had  been  combined,  he  has 
in  Sume  way  managed  to  give  to  that  question  itself  the 
send)lance  of  unusual  complicateness;  whereas  it  is  in  re- 
ality single  and  very  sim])le.  He  has  also  avoided  a  dis- 
cussion of  the  grounds  on  which  the  position  of  the  writer 
was  ^st.  blished,  excepting  only  in  one  or  two  instances; 
slim',  in  these  instances  he  has  been  so  unfortunate  as  en- 
tire ly  to  mis-state  the  views  and  argument  of  his  oppo- 
nent. 

For  these  reasons,  and  because  Dr.  Gray  has  himself 
deserted,  in  comm(»n  with  the  writet%  the  sentiments  com- 
monly called  orthodox,  in  relation  to  the  matter  in  eon- 
tr<>vers>;  and  has  substituted  a  new^  view  of  his  own  in  the 
p];v:e  of  the  several  t:  eoties  he  had  undertaken  to  exam- 
ine; he  seems  fairly  entitled  to  the  very  particular  notice 
of  the  author  of  these  Sermons. 

SECTION  I. 

State  of  the  Question. 

IT  will  be  highly  proper,  before  entering  upon  the 
dis*in«  t  ccnsideration  of  Dr.  Gray's  performance,  to  fur- 
nisli  a  brief  statement  of  the  question  on  which  we  are  at 
issue,  and  of  the  arguments  by  which  it  has  been  hereto- 
fore altcn^pted  to  decide  it.  A  sketch  of  this  description 
will  not  only  save  the  labour  and  inconvenience  of  repeal- 
led refcirnces  and  explanations;  but,  if  executed  with 
faitijfulness  and  sufficient  ability,  will  afford  th<  reader  Ihc 
advii'trj^e  (if  havin*g  the  whole  case  at  all  timts  distinc  tly 
before  his  mind,  so  that  he  may^^  at  the  first  glance  per- 


state  of  the  Question,  ^y 

ceive  the  bearin,i^  and  value  of  every  general  principle 
that  may  have  been  wielded,  or  that  may  yei  be  wielded, 
in  this  controversy. 

The  speculations  of  multitudes  have  been  for  many  a* 
ges  directed  to  the  solution  of  the  question,  on  what  prin- 
ciple* it  is  that  eternal  salvation  is  offere  in  the  scriptures 
to  every  creature;  wliile  it  remains  a  conceded  truth  that 
it  is  not  the  purpose  of  God  to  savr  ever^  creature.  This 
question  is  supposed  to  be  encumbered  with  difficulty,  on 
tlie  grounds  that  all  salvation  flows  from  the  obedience 
and  atonement  of  Jesus  Christ;  and  that  the  merits  of  his 
obedience  and  passion  can  avail  the  persons  whom  he 
saves,  for  no  other  reas :»ii  but  because  he  is  considered  as 
their  representative,  and  executes  in  their  name  and  be- 
half whai.  justice  would  otherwise  exact  from  themselves. 
As  these  are  points  conceded  on  all  hands,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  those  who  hold  tlie  doctrine  of  wiivcjsal  salvation, 
the  difficulty  of  reconciling  a  universal  offer  with  a  limit* 
ed  atonement,  or  rather  with  a  limited  saltation,  has 
been  at  all  times  felt.  For  on  the  one  hand,  if  all  sal- 
vation must  depend  upon  the  fact  of  the  party  saved  being 
represented  by  the  Saviour;  then  it  would  seem  to  folh^w 
that  as  he  declares  his  ability  to  save  ail  men,  he  must 
have  represented  all,  must  have  atoned  for  all.  And  if 
all  be  thus  placed  under  the  Saviour's  representation,  it 
would  necessarily  follow  that  all  men  must  be  saved;  oth- 
erwise the  penalty  of  sin  is  twice  exacted,  first  from  the 
surety,  and  then  from  the  party  for  whom  the  surety  has 
already  satisfied.  And  hence  we  have  the  doctrine  of  u- 
niversal  salvation. 

Again.  It  is  clear  from  tlic  scriptures  tliat  all  men  will 
not  be  saved.  -  Tiience,  reasoning  as  above,  it  inevitably 
follows,  that  all  men  are  not  placed  under  the  representa- 
tion of  the  Saviour;  he  did  not  o')ey  in  tiieir  several  names; 
he  did  not  endure  the  penalty  in  their  room;  inasmucii  as 
if  he  had  done  so,  justice  must  have  infallibly  s<^Gured  their 
salvation.  And  here  again  recurs  the  difficulty.  Salva- 
tion is  only  imparted  in  virtue  of  the  Saviour's  represen- 
tation of  the  person  saved.  Why  then  is  it  offered  to  those 
wiiom  he  did  not  represent?  How  can  ho  wash  away  the 
guilt  of  those  for  whom  he  never  died?  IIow  confer  eter- 
nal life  on  those  for  whom  he  never  purcliased  it?  And  if  he 
cannot  do  these  tniiigs,  how  c^an  we  reconcile  it  with  his 


^m  ^tate  of  the  Question. 

sinrority,  that  hesiiouid  .flfer  to  accoiuplisb  them;  or  with 
his  truth,  tliat  he  should  claim  the  li^hi? 

To  th(  sf  qu<  slions  a  great  variety  of  iinswers  ha^ehf'en 
givv  n.  We  shall  meet  with  such  of  them  as  are  most  im- 
posnjg,  and  most  gpiierally  adopted,  in  the  course  of  th.'se 
strictJires.  It  is  sufficient  to  say,  at  present,  that  th<  Cal- 
viuists  attempt  one  solution;  the  Arramians  another;  iind 
the  Hopkinsians  a  third:  and  that  the  writer,  feeling  e- 
qually  dissatisfied  with  all  their  sohitions,  ventured  to 
pr<,pose  a  distinct  one  of  his  own.  Wit!)  this  solution, 
and  with  all  th<  foregoing,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gray  professes 
himself  ('issatisfied;  and.  in  the  shape  of  an  answer  to  tlus 
respondent,  and  of  a  defence*  of  the  General  Synod  of  the 
Associate- Heformed  Church,  he  comes  out  with  a  new  so- 
lution of  his  own.  There  are,  of  course,  no  less  than  five 
distinct  arravs  ssembled  on  the  field,  each  as  a  band  of 
Ishma^'lites;  and  though  last,  yet  not  the  least,  this  *'spec- 
tre  fell  of  fien(!ish  might'* — this  two-fold  fiend,  (for  such 
in  the  issue  it  turns  out  to  bv*) — this  »*fiend  of  the  Refor- 
mation" brandishes  U  rrihly  its  spear,  or  rather  bayonet, 
as  we  are  taught  to  call  itf 

In  order  to  reconcile  these  apparently  adverse  claims 
of  various  established  doctrines,  the  writer  some  years 
since  ventured  to  propose  the  idea  that  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion is  predicfited  on  the  precise  principle  which  is  known 
to  regulate  all  systems  of  being  that  are  gradual  in  their 
development.  It  is  an  acknowledged  principle  tliat 
wheresoever  a  multitude  of  individual  existences  are 
brought  together  into  a  common  system,  their  individual- 
ity becomes  in  a  certain  sense  merged  in  the  associated 
mass  of  which  tliey  form  a  part;  and  they  become  sharers 
in  the  character  and  destinv  of  the  mass,  in  virtue  of  their 
connexion  with  it.  Thus,  for  exaniple,  the  particles  of 
matter  which  at  any  given  moment  constitute  a  vegetahle, 
derive  tluir  character  and  attributes  from  the  f^ct  of  their 
assemblage  and  organization  under  that  particalar  form; 
a^  s'  rb  particl"  s  'as  either  escape  from  this  combination 
or  are   nl}  therv  iter  to  become  united  vvitli  it,  in  the  mean 

*  Ta  virtue^  %ve  j^^e^imCf  of  the  us^ial  ligfiise^  time  out  of, 
mind  conceded.        /f"  Z^-.  ^  ,.  ^,..  £.  f^rfi  *cy^y,  ^    r  A  ^-  - 
\Fiend,  p.  iS,  ' 


state  of  the  qiiestion.  ^Sl), 

time  stand  in  no  sprcial  rdi.tion  v\iuit('vcr  to  the  vr2;f  ta- 
bl  in  qinsti'n.  Thus  too,  t\try  nation  ami  evrry  asso-  ( 
ci.iUon  of  .iicn  ron.sists  exdusively  f  those  win)  arc  mem-  ■ 
brrs  tor  tlio  time  being;  an«l  it  is  in  virtue  of  this  nrtual 
relationship  to  the  society  that  individuals  heeom^  fijrmal- 
ly  and  personally  interested  in  its  dvstiny,  and  sharers  in 
all  its  attributes. 

It  is  plain  tlmt  if  the  grand  association,  which  we  call 
the  Church  of  God,  or  king<!om  of  the  Saviijur,  is  con- 
stricted and  rignlated  on  this  plan,  there  will  be  noplace 
for  the  discrepancy  which  has  bcv'n  s'.ipposi'd  to  exist  be- 
tween the  doctrine  of  a  possibh^  saiv;;tion  for  all  men,  and 
the  doctrine  that  no  one  can  be  saved  but  in  virtue  of  iiis 
representation  by  the  Mediator,  tak:"n  in  connexion  with 
the  acknowledged  facts  that  he  does  not  represent,  and 
will  not  save  all  men.  Because  tiie  assumption  being  tfsat 
the  Church  of  God  is  regulated  like  every  other  federa- 
tive system  of  gradual  develop  mnt,  it  will  follow  in  this 
case,  as  in  every  othei  .that  it  -  ;is  ?!ot  at  all  needfid  that  tije 
Saviour  should  actually  stand  in  the  relation  of  a  repre- 
sentative or  covenant  head,  at  the  moment  when  he  achie- 
ved this  great  deliverance,  to  every  individual  who  was 
afterwards  to  share  the  blessing.  It  is  ampl}  sufficient 
that  he  represented  the  system  of  being  and  every  individ- 
ual of  which  it  was  constituted  at  th.e  time  w'lcn  he  fulfil- 
led his  trust.  Other  beings  might  aftcrvi^ards  be  admit- 
ted with  facility  into  the  s)Stem,  and  in  virtue  of  that  ad- 
mission into  and  identification  with  it,  they  might  fall  un- 
der tlie  representation  of  the  head,  and  C(;iiscq uenlly 
share  in  all  tliat  he  had  achieved.  Hence  then  the  possi- 
bility of  deliverance  for  all  men:  hence  the  proffer  of  t  lis 
deliverance^ io  all  men.  Salvation  is  predicated  on  tiie 
fact  of  representation;  and  this  representation  may  com- 
mence at  any  time,  and  be  extended  over  any  numaer. 

In  order  completely  to  establish  the  reasonableness  of 
this  view,  it  was  necessary  to  prove  two  things.  1st.  That 
such  a  systt  m  of  being  may  be  constituted  and  placed  im- 
der  a  course  of  development,  when  it  subsists  ex  lusive- 
ly  in  the  person  ;>f  the  single  individual  who  is  regarded 
as  the  federative  head;  or  rather,  under  that  point  of  view, 
as  the  germ  to  ■$;"  unfohhd.  And.  '2nd]y.  Thatthewhole 
merit  or  demerit  of  this  federative  head  comes  down  uiidi- 


S30  State  of  the  Questmu 

Tided  upon  every  individual  who  may  at  the  moment,  or 
in  process  of  time,  be  connected  with  him.  Provided 
these  things  be  so,  it  is  obviously  a  matter  of  no  conse- 
quence at  what  period  the  individual  falls  und;?^  the  rep- 
resentation of  the  head,  or  how  many  individuals  may 
successively  fall  under  it.  That  which  covers  any  one, 
covers  each  onv-  as  completely  as  if  he  alone  were  the 
party  represented;  and  it  may  be  extended  to  him  as  fair- 
ly if  his  representation  commences  1000  or  10000 
years  after  the  event  took  place  by  which  the  destiny  of 
the  system  vi^as  decided,  as  if  he  had  been  a  party  at  the 
moment  when  the  d^ed  was  done. 

This  view  of  the  subject  was  stated  with  sufficient 
clearness  in  each  of  the  three  publications  which  Dr. 
Gray  h  id  before  him  when  he  composed  his  v^rork.  All 
that  is  said  in  relation  to  the  question  in  <*the  body  of 
Christ"  is  contained  in  the  demonstration  of  the  three 
following  prop?)sitions,  and  in  the  deductions  drawn  from 
them;  viz. 

1.  "It  is  not  true,  neither  can  it  be  true  of  any  system 
whose  development  is  progressive,  that  all  who  shall 
^e  parts  of  it  are  formally  and  in  law  recognised  as  parts, 
whether  they  exist  or  whether  they  do  not." 

2.  **Neith<Y'  is  it  true  that  the  contemplated  results 
which  are  to  arise  out  of  such  a  constitution,  or,  what  in 
tlje  present  case  amounts  to  the  sa^e  thing,  the  contem- 
^ated  numbers  to  the  reception  of  which  it  shall  be  limi* 
ted.  diminishes  in  the  least  the  capacity  of  the  system  to 
receive  indefinitely  above  those  limits,  and  that  without 
any  kind  of  violence  to  the  constitution  under  which 
they  might  be  received." 

3.  "Fin;dly.  it  is  not  necessary  in  order  to  the  recog- 
nition of  a  body  or  association,  as  well  defined  and  as 
clearly  specified  as  the  head  which  represents  it  can  in 
any  given  case  be  supposed  to  be,  that  all  the  parts  or 
members  which  may  eventually  enter  into  the  constitu- 
tion of  that  body,  should  either  exist  in  fact  or  be  known 
in  law  previously  to  the  moment  when  they  are  made  to 
assume  their  station  in  the  body." 

<*Body  of  Christ:"  p.  172. 
After  having  proved  from  the  nature  of  the  thing,  that 
federative  systems,  gradual  in  their  development,  maj 


State  of  the  Question,  g^l 

he  constructed  on  this  principle;  the  work  goes  on  to 
shew  by  several  examples  that  on  this  principle  they  ac- 
tually are  constructed:  and  then  proceeds  to  make  out 
from  scrii  tural  testimony  that  the  plan  of  salvation  does 
not  differ  in  this  respect  from  that  which  is  adopted  iu 
the  structure  and  manae:ement  of  other  federative  sys- 
tems, but  is  framed  on  the  very  same  principles. 

These  propositions  again  appear  in  substance,  thougli 
tinder  another  form,  in  the  circular  ac^dresscd  to  the  cler- 
gy of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The  annunciation  is  as 
follows: 

«Iu  every  federal  system,  progressive  in  its  develop- 
ment, the  head  and  the  members  are  identified  in  law. 
They  are  not  known,  (in  law)  as  so  many  distinct  and 
is(dated  subsistances^  merely  occupying  certain  relations 
to  one-another;  but  are  known  and  treated  as  one  great 
moral  individual,  or  whole,  of  which  each  and  every  part 
is  identified  with  the  head,  and  the  head  with  each  and 
every  part.     This  system,  thus  constituted,  is  known   iia 
law    and   maintains  its  identity  in  fact,  as  one  and  the 
same  moral  person  or  individual,  through  every  stage  of 
its  development;  avij  in  every  stage   of  that   develop- 
ment is  recognised  and   dealt    with  in  law   and  cove- 
nant, precisely  as  it  then  is,  without  any  kind  of  refer- 
ence  to  accessions   afteiwards   to  be  made.     And,   with 
respect  to   these  accessions,  I  further  say  that  it   is   the 
fact   of  their  being  (i.  e.  becoming)  accessions  that  inter- 
ests them  in  common    with  the   body.     While  not  so  in 
fact,  they  cannot  be  so  known  in  law;   because  law  Ijas 
respect  only  to  matter  of  fad. — And  further,   that  these 
accessions  do  not  destroy  the  identity  of  the  body,  nor  in 
any  wise  affect  its  relations   to  the    head;  but  do  them- 
selves ther;  first  and  fully  assume  all   the  relations  cran- 
mon   to   the  syj-tenj. — And    finally,  that   any   coven;  iii 
made  with  a  system  tlius  constituted,  is  made  with  it  as  a 
systemf  as  one;  and  has  its  as!)ert  and  bearing  toward  and 
upon  that  system  as  such,  and  up^u  th(^  individuals  a^ 
constituting  it;  but  cannot   have  any  respect  wliatsoever 
to  any  thing  whicii  is  not  the   sysieui,  nor  of  the  system, 
becaufie  it  knows  noUiing — rem.  uises  notlimg  but  that 
^vith  which  it  is  really  and  rcrm;  lly  nsade." 

Circular:  page  2;  column  1. 


fiM>  State  of  the  question . 

The  foregoing  statement  is  then  illustrated  by  the  ex- 
ample of  a  Jiation,  r)f  which  individuals  become  parts  ei- 
ther by  birtli  or  naturalization;  and  begin  to  inherit  all 
the  destinies  of  the  nation,  and  to  share  in  the  consequen- 
ces of  all  its  former  fortunes,  as  well  as  of  its  present 
measures,  from  the  moment  that  they  are  individually 
connected  with  it. 

And  in  order,  if  possible,  to  preclude  the  possibility  of 
further  misconception  or  misrepresentation,  the  view  was 
a  third  tiine  staled  in  tlie  following  words,  in  the  plead- 
ings before  the  General  Synod  of  the  Associate-Reformed 
Church: 

*-It  asserts"  (viz.  the  essay  on  which  the  prosecution 
was  founded)  "the  individual — person  d  representation  of 
all  who  are  born  either  into  Adam  or  into  Christ,  from 
the  moment  of  their  creation  or  regeneration.  But  it 
denies  that  they  are  represented,  denies  that  the  cove- 
nants knew  them  in  any  respect,  until  they  are  thus  en- 
grafted.—  It  maintains  that  eitlier  covenant  was  made 
Vi^^ith  the  system  as  a  body;  but  not  with  individuals  who 
were  afterwards  to  be  engrossed  as  constituents  of  that  bo- 
dy.— It  maintains  that  the  head  is,  in  every  given  peri- 
od, the  representative  of  the  body;  but  of  none  who  are 
!]ot  constituents  of  tiie  body. — It  asserts  the  capabilities 
v'jf  the  head  to  represtnt.  and  of  the  body  to  receive,  in- 
definitely beyond  the  numbers  it  contains. — Finally,  it 
assumes  that  the  merits  or  demerits  of  the  respective 
heads  are  not  partitioned  out  among  the  members  of  the 
body;  but  that  the  whole  of  the  merit  aud  the  whole  of 
the  demerit  are  severally  imputed,  not  only  to  the  mass, 
hut  to  every  individual  that  goes  to  constitute  the  mass."* 

Plea:  pages  35,  36. 

It  will  bo  obvious  from  an  inspectuin  <)f  any  of  the  fore= 
going  statements  that  the  discriminating  prir.cipie  nf  the 
system  which  they  contemplate  is  this,  and  only  this:  that 
the  representation  of  an  itidividual  by  a  federative  luad 
does  not  depend  at  all  on  ius  having  been  contemplated 
fts  a  part  of  the  system  when  it  was  first  organiz<*d;  but 
solely  upon  the  fact  of  his  union  with  tise  head  of  the  sys- 
tem, (or,  in  other  words,  of  his  identification  with  the 
system^  and  therefore  tuat  it  is  i\  matter  of  no  conse« 


State  of  the  Question.  g32 

quence  at  what  period  of  time  he  may  fall  under  the  rcD- 
resmtation  of  the  head. 

The  assumption  common  to  all  parties,  Calvinists, 
Arminians  and  Universaliats,  is  directly  the  reverse  q£ 
the  foregoing.  They  agree  in  declaring  that  the  Sav- 
iour must  have  stood  as  tlie  actual  representative  of  all 
who  shall  be  saved,  at  the  times  respectively  when  he  en- 
tered into,  and  fulfilled,  his  engagement.  Aud  they  de 
not  seem  to  think  it  possible  that  a  person  who  was  not 
then  formally  considered  as  a  party  to  the  covenant,  and 
as  included  under  the  representation  of  the  Saviour,  ever 
can  become  a  party,  and  so  be  afterwards  included  under 
that  representation.  And  hence  it  is  that  the  Universal- 
ists  conclude  that  Jesus  Christ  will  Srtve  all  men,  inasmucli 
as  he  offers  to  do  so;  which  could  not  be  the  cuse  unless  he 
had  represented  all.— And  hence  it  is  that  so  many  Cal- 
vinists  deny  the  possible  salvation  of  any  others  than  the 
elect;  because  as  none  others  will  be  actually  saved,  none 
others  can  have  been  included  in  the  covenant  and  under 
the  representation  of  the  Saviour;  and  without  such  an  in- 
terest in  thes<^  things, it  is  on  Al  hands  agiesd  that  salva- 
tion is  impossible. 

IMie  Arminians  aim  to  drive  a  middle  course,  which  it 
is  not  very  easy  to  characterize  in  a  few  sentences.  We 
can  only  remark  at  present,  that  (Dr.  Grny's  opinion  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding)  it  is  far  less  consistent 
than  either  of  the  above. 

The  Hopkinsians  attempt  to  rid  themselves  of  the  diffi- 
culty, by  a  process  which  annihilates  entirely  the  princi- 
ple of  federal  representation.  They  adopt  the  idea  that 
the  atonement  made  by  Jesus  Christ  had  no  particidar  res- 
pect to  any  man  or  bndy  of  men,  but  was  mer<  ly  the  en- 
durance of  that  punishment  which  the  law  fleaounces  a- 
gainst  sin:  and  of  course  they  overlook  entirely  that  rela- 
tion which  must  subsist,  both  in  law  and  fact,  between  two 
or  more  persons,  in  order  that  their  standing  and  desti- 
nies may  be  regulated  ty  tlie  conduct  of  cither.  The  idea 
o( penalty  can  in  this  case  have  no  place;  in  smuch  as  the 
infliction  of  death  can  have  no  res^pect  to  the  offences  of  the 
party  thereby  rendered  subject  to  the  penalty. 

The  dilemmas  into  which  all  tlies-'  parties  and  s-^cta- 
ries  have  been  respectively  forced^  certainly  go  to  indi- 

K  k 


^3^     ,  State  of  the  Q^ue'^tian. 

cate  that  the  actual  structure  of  the  plan  of  salvation  i^ 
still  a  subject  of  legitimate  inquiry.  IS  or  ought  an  attempt 
to  detect  the  proton  pseudos  (the  first  and  principal  erro- 
neous assumption)  in  which  all  parties  iiave  heretofore  so 
strangely  concurred,  while  they  differed  in  almost  every 
thing  else,  to  have  been  regarded  as  an  offence  deserving 
such  ha^ty  and  outrageous  correction. 

"Wt  will  no^^  furnish  anoutlineof  the  arguments  on  which 
it  was  attempted  to  establish  the  position  ihat  the  body  of 
Christ,  or  assemblage  of  the  saved,  is  constructed  and  un- 
folded on  the  principle  comirjon  to  federative  bodie^s;  that 
is  to  say,  is  evolved  progressively;  so  that  individuals  be- 
gin to  be  represented  by  the  Saviour,  and  first  obtain  an 
interest  in  his  merits  and  atonement,  at  the  moment  of 
their  actual  union  witli  him. 

1.  This  idea  was  supported  by  the  structure  of  the  first 
covenant,  in  which  i<;  was  assumed  that  the  children  of  A- 
dam  have  a  concern  in  virtue  of  their  descent  from  him; 
so  that  t^ieir  representation  by  Adam  commences  with 
their  filial  relation  to  him.* 

3.  By  the  acknowledged  principle  that  persons  cannot 
be  at  the  same  time  under  the  representation  of  two  feder- 
ative h^^ad«  who  stand  opposed  to  one  another,  noi  at 
once  involved  in  the  several  destinies  of  their  opposite 
systems. t 

3.  By  direct  and  positive  scriptural  declarations  that 
all  -\ho  are  out  of  Christ  are  strangers  from  the  covenant, 
and  that  those  who  are  brought  into  Christ  are  then  first 
brought  under  the  covenant.:j: 

4.  By  all  the  figures  which  the  scriptures  themselves 
ensploy  to  illustrate  both  the  manner  and  the  principle  of 
an  union  with  the  Saviour.§ 

5.  By  analogies  drawn  from  other  federative  constitu- 
tions umleniably  constructed  on  this  principle.ff 

^JBody  ftf  Christ.  174,  184,  196.    Plea.  38—47.  Circu- 
lar, p,  3.  cdiimn  ^. 
*     ]Boihf  of  Christ,  178,  179.  Plea,  51,  Ch\  p.  3,  col,  2. 

{Body  of  Christ,  ISO,  191.  Plea.  58,60—62,  6i!,Cir,p. 
3  col,  2.  * 

§Body  of  Christ.  '179.  Plea,  63.    Cir.  p.  2.  col,  %. 

^Body  of  Christ,  173, 182»  Plm,  6.9,  70. 


Of  the  Covenant  of  Works.  g35 

6,  Finally,  by  tlie  consideration  that  this  view  of  the 
subject  solves  (or  rather  precludes)  all  the  difficulties 
Wliich  have  been  snppv)sed  to  be  attached  to  it,  and  that 
too  in  a  way  which  has  the  advantage  of  being  counte- 
nanced by  many  and  strong  analogies;  while  all  the  sys- 
tems that  have  been  hereti>fore  adopted  are  burdened 
with  insuperable  objections,  and  in  fact  prove  unsatisfac- 
tory in  the  estimation  of  their  very  abettors.*  We  are 
now  to  notice,  briefly,  the  manner  in  which  Dr.  Gray  op- 
poses himself  to  this  array, 

SECTION  II. 

Of  the  Covenant  of  JForks, 

IT  had  been  assumed  in  all  the  disquisitions  of  the 
writer,  and,  so  far  as  lie  knows  and  believes,  it  has  been 
the  uniform  opinion  of  all  Calvinists,  and  in  fact  of  most 
christian  churches  since  the  days  of  the  reformation,! 
that  the  covenants  of  works  and  grace  were  modelled  upon 
the  same  plan;  and  that  the  systems  to  which  they  seve- 
rally have  respect  are  constructed  and  managed  on  the  v&* 
ry  same  principle.  This  was  not  an  unwarranted  assump- 
tion. The  Apostle  Paul  positively  asserts  this  unity  of 
pi  .n,  denominating  Adam  "the  figure"  of  Jesus  Christ;^ 
and  he  reasons  familiarly  and  frequently  from  the  struc- 
ture and  operation  of  the  fust  great  vsy stem,  to  the  struc- 
ture and  operation  of  the  second. §  If  tlierefore  it  can  be 
made  out  that  our  connexion  with  Adam  and  representa- 
tion under  him,  commence  only  with  the  beginning  of  ouc 
existence,  and  spring  from  our  filial  relation  to  him;  thea 
it  will  clearly  follow  that  our  representation  by  the  Sa- 
viour also  commences  with  ^ur  actual  union  with  him, and 
that  as  under  the  first  covenant  no  one  can  be  a  party  be-, 
fore  he  has  a  being,  nor  be  in  any  sense  contemplated  Uy 
the  covenant,  so  no  one  is  placed  under  the  covenant  fif^ 
grace,  or  in  any  sense  contemplated  by  it,  till  the  moment 
of  regeneration.  In  other  words,  botli  of  them  are  s)^'i 
tems  of  progressive  evolution.  I 

^ Body  of  Christ,  205—213.  Pica.  SS— 56.  6^--^69. 
^**I pledge  the  man  who  says,  from  the  days  of  the  Jipos^^ 
tles.^'  +Rom,  v.  .4. 

Ubidem.  15—^.     1  Car.  xv.  31,  22,  45—50. 


mQ  Of  the  Covenant  of  Worlc's. 

It  therefore  became  indispeiisiible  to  ti>e  success  of  Dl'v 
Gray,  either  to  overthrow  the  assumption  that  the  for- 
mer system  was  *»the  fi.mire"  of  the  la  ter;  or  to  disprove 
the  position  tliat  it  vas,  and  15,  a  system  of  gradual  devel- 
opment.— The  first  he  only  attempts  by  taking  refuge  in 
a  certain  technicality  of  the  law,  without  ever  meeting  the 
scriptural  references  made  in  support  of  the  assumption. 
On  that  technicality,  which  he  w^ouldhave  us  adopt  with- 
out authority  or  illustration,  he  builds  his  own  new  sys- 
tem. We  shall  meet  with  it  in  due  time.  To  the  latter 
object  he  pays  very  considerable  attention.  He  attempts 
to  make  it  out  that  our  representation  by  Adam  does  noi 
flow  from,  or  depend  upon,  our  descent  from  him;  and  by 
consequence  that  we  not  only  might  be,  but  actually 
WERE  (because  we  might  have  been)  all  included  togetlier 
and  from  the  first  under  that  first  covenant,  and  so  under 
the  representation  of  the  firs<^  fe-ieral  head. 

The  confirmation  of  this  point  is  somewhat  curious* 
^«\Yas  Eve  represented  by  Adam  in  the  covenant  of 
M  orks?'*'*  This  the  Doctor  states  as  being  «<the  jet  of  the 
question":  and  he  employs  several  arguments  to  prove 
that  sh<^  was  so  represented.  The  consequence  is  plain:^ 
she  did  not  descend  from  Adam  by  natural  generation, 
and  so  natural  generation  is  not  the  bond  of  the  covenant; 
and  therefore^  all  men  may  have  been  included  under  it 
from  the  first. 

On  the  questirm  whether  Eve  was  represented  by  Adam 
in  the  covenant  transaction  we  liave  not  any  thing  to  say, 
except  barely  to  propose  a  problem  to  the  consideration 
of  Dr.  Gray.  If  Adam  stood  as  the  federal  head  of  Eve* 
then  her  standing  and  destiny  were  identified  with  those 
qf  her  covenant  head.  What  was  the  precise  state  and 
coisdirion  of  Eve  after  having  eaten  of  the  forbidden  fruit, 
wJiile  Adam  remained  innocent?  The  Apostle  Paul  de-. 
clares  she  was  "first  in  the  transgrc'sion;*'  and  we  learn 
tiie  same  thing  from  the  history  of  that  transaction.  If 
sbe  was  a  transgressor,  while  her  federative  head  was  iii- 
iiocent,  what  was  the  precise  bearing  of  her  relation  to 
him? 

Wc  do  not  state  this  objection  with  a  view  to  get  clear 

^Fiend.  14. 


'QJ  the  Covenant  of  Woi^k$,  2WT 

of  Br.  Gray's  argument,  but  hk  rely  in  order  to  ]»int  to 
th.i  g«-ntl;^man  on  wluit  a  sandy  foundati  )n  he  sometimes^ 
erects  his  batteries.  -But  we  vUl  admit  (and  we  do  it 
lieartily)  thit  E  e  was  placed  under  the  representation  of 
Adam.  What  follows?  Not  one  of  the  ronclusions  so  tri-^ 
umphantly  asserted  by  "the  fiend.' 

When  it  is  stated  that  ordinary  |]jeneration  is  the  bond 
of  connexion  with  the  first  Adam,  reference  of  cours*  is 
had  to  the  great  mass  of  human  beings  who  have  actually- 
descended  from  him.     By  tlie  very  law  of  descent  the^* 
are  one  with  him  in  point  of  fact;  that  ia  to  say,  they  are 
but  the  evolution  of  the  first  man,  as  an  oak  is  the  evolu- 
tion of  a  germ.     Now  it  is  the  fact  of  their  springing  from 
the  loins  of  Adam,  the  fact  of  their  deriving  the  germs  aC 
their  being  in  succession  from  him,  that  is  assumed  to  cre- 
ate their  legal  relation  to  him;  and  as  there  is  but  the  one 
lawof  successive  germination — the  one  mode  of  institu- 
ting this  connexion,  it  may  be  said  with  tiuth  that  natu- 
ral generation  (that  one  mode)  is  the  onlv  bo!id  ot  u- 
nion:  for  it  is  the  only  mode  by  which  the  evolution  of  the 
first  man  is  accomplished.  It  is  very  true  that  Eve  forms 
an  exception  as  to  the  moue  in  which  her  being  was  evolv- 
ed; but  the  exception  I'eaches  nothing  hut  the  mode.    She 
was  still  formed  of  the  substance  of  Adam:  the  germ  of 
her  being  was  a  rib:  she  was  therefore  as  really  a  develop- 
ment of  the  first  man,  though  by  a  different  process,  as 
are  any  of  her  children.     So  Adam  himself  judged.     He 
at  once  hailed   her  as  bone  of  his  own  bone  and  flesh  of 
his  own  flesh,  as  being  really  a  part  of  himself.     And  so 
God  himself  declares  lier  to  have  been.     Here  then  we  see 
good  reason  why  she  too  should  fall  under  the  represent- 
ation of  Adam:  she  was  a  part  of  him.     But  we  cannot 
even  conjecture  a  tolerable  reason   wherefore  she  should 
havt  been  formed  out  of  a  rib,  and  not  out  of  materials  ta- 
ken immediately  from  the  ground,  unless  it  were  done 
with  the  precise  view  of  rendering  her  a  part  of  the  one 
great  system. 

The  case  of  Eve,  then,  does  not  disprove  the  assump- 
tion that  natural  generation  is  the  bond  of  union.  It  is 
the  mode  by  which  mankind  derive  their  substance  from 
liim.  It  therefore  constitutes  them  parts  of  him.  And  it 
jj^  the  fact  of  their  being  parts  of  him,  and  so  one  with 


»a8  0/  tie  Covmanf  of  Works. 

hii  I  de  facto,  that  renders  them  one  with  him  de  le.^e,. 
Eve  was  also  one  with  him  in  fact,  and  therefore  also  one 
with  him  in  law.  She  forms  no  exception  to  the  law  of 
r<^ presentation;  she  was  only  brought  under  it  by  a  differ- 
ent process.  And  the  very  fact  of  her  being  creat*  d  a  de- 
rivative from  Adam,  affords  a  striking  confirmation  of 
the  general  principle  that  identification  in  law  is  founded 
upon,  and  subsetjuent  to,  identification  in  point  of  fact. 

We  would  therefore  date  Eve's  federal  connexion 
with  our  first  father  from  the  moment  in  which  she 
derived  her  being  from  him:  and  we  would  date  the  fed- 
eral connexion  of  every  child  of  Adam  from  the  moment 
in  which  they  respectively  derive  their  beings  from  him: 
anl  we  would  still  say  that  this  connexion  is  constituted 
hy  natural  generation^  because  that  is  the  mode  of ^eriva- 
|ion. 

But  we  have  another  example  furnished  by  the  Doctor, 
which  he  supposes  to  be  equally  in  point.  Eve  and  Je- 
sus Christ  <4)oth  derived  human  nature  from  Adam."* 
The  inference  is,  that  the  mere  derivation  of  human  nature 
from  Adam  does  not  place  us  under  his  representation. 
The  conclusion  mny  be.  correct;  but  the  premises  are  more 
than  questionable. 

The  apology  so  sportively  offered  to  the  physiologists 
for  trespassing  on  their  grounds,  ought  to  have  been  soon- 
er introduced.  The  physiology  of  the  scriptures  will  no 
doubt  be  admitted  by  Dr.  Gray  to  be  correct:  aid  if  any 
thing  be  clearly  taught  us  in  the  scriptures,  this  point  i;? 
clearly  taught,  that  the  germ  of  every  living  thing,  be  it 
animal  or  vegetable,  is  to  be  considered  as  the  beint; 
whose  identity  is  preserved  through  every  stage  of  access- 
ion or  development.  It  is  not  the  accession  that  gives 
character  to  the  germ,  but  the  germ  that  gives  character 
to  the  accession.  Now  every  human  body  is  but  a  germ 
developed;  and  though  it  be  the  fashion  ot'modern  physi- 
ol  gists,  as  it  is  the  fashion  of  all  philosophers,  to  theo- 
rize in  opposition  to  tlie  scriptures  as  frequently  and  as 
far  as  they  can,  yet  Dr.  Gray  will  recollect  and  will  be- 
lieve the  physiologist  who  teaches  that  such  a  germ  does 
exist  in  the  commencement  of  every  animal  existence,  aiid 

^  Fiend.  18. 


i)f  the  Covenant  of  Works.  ^2Q 

tliat  it  is  derived  from  the  father's  loins  It  matters  not 
in  what  way,  from  wliat  substauces,  or  in  what  manner 
this  germ  is  afterwards  increased:  the  derivation  of  its 
bein.i^  is  not  refered  to  any  of  the  sources  from  which  it 
derives  its  bulli,  but  exclusively  to  that  whence  it  first 
proceeded  as  a  germ.  No  one  thinks  of  tracing  up  hifl 
existence  to  the  various  aiticles  from  which  he  derived 
sustenance,  and  which  were  partly  converted  into  his  own 
substance.  The  being  that  was  sustained  and  augmented 
by  them,  is  that  to  which  he  confines  his  notice:  and  that 
heing  he  may  still  trace  (and  the  scriptures  do  trace) 
backwards,  till  it  be  resolved  into  the  germ  derived  from 
the  parent's  loins. 

'Sow,  whence  was  that  germ  w^hich  we  are  constantly 
t'o  identify  with  the  body  of  our  Saviour?  It  was  an  im- 
mediate creation;  it  was  not  derived  in  any  measure,  or  in 
any  sense,  from  Adam;  it  was  produced  when  the  Holy 
Ghost  overshadowed  the  favored  virgin:  consequently  it 
at  that  time  stood  in  no  relation  to  x\dam.  If,  then,  w^ 
\vere  correct  in  saying  that  the  accumulation  of  particles, 
from  whatever  source  derived,  does  not  effect  the  ideetiry 
of  the  being  which  is  thus  augmented;  the  Saviour,  thougU 
rendered  a  partaker  of  flesh  and  blood  in  consequence 
of  the  nourishment  derived  in  the  ordinary  way,  was  not 
thereby  brought  a  whit  tJie  nearer  in  his  relationship  to  the 
first  Adam.  And  so  it  is  not  true  that  he  derived  bis  be- 
ing from  him.  Eve  was  formed  from  Adam's  own  fleshj 
she  was  in  her  original  a  constituent  part  of  liim.  Jesus 
Ciirist  w  as  created  immediately  by  the  Holy  Ghost;  he  was 
not  in  any  degree  a  constituent  part  ot  Adam,  or  of  any  of 
Adam's  seed. 

The  scriptures,  wliich  teach  s')und  theology  as  well  a^i 
correct  physiology,  always  keep  up  the  distinction.  They 
never  talk  of  the  Saviour  as  being  the  seed  of  Adanu 
They  alwa\s  distinguish  him  as  -'the  seed  of  the  woman." 
This  same  word  they  frequently  apply  in  the  case  of  oth- 
ers who  are  nevertheless  truly  the  seed  of  man:  so  that  Ih© 
very  use  of  the  expression  "seed  of  the  woman"  sufii» 
ciently  indicates  the  restrictions  under  which  it  should  be 
understood. 

It  is  not  true,  then,  that  tlie  case  of  Eve  forms  an  ex- 
Cfption  to  the  generaj  assumption  that  all  human  bein|;«! 


(S4^0  Of  the  Covenant  df  WorlcB, 

are  interested  in  the  destiny  of  the  first  Adam,  in  coiiso:- 
quence  of  their  descent  from  him.  She  was  as  really  an 
evolution  from  the  first  man  as  are  any  of  his  children. 
She  niay  therefore  have  heen  fairly  identified  with  him  in 
covenant,  inasmuch  as  she  was  a  part  of  him  in  fact.  The 
Doctor's  argument  is  therefore  a  palpable  sophism.  And 
his  2nd  argument  is  not  only  equally  sophistical,  but  it  is 
further  burdened  with  two  very  serious  evils:  it  is  founded 
on  false  premises,  for  Jesus  Christ  did  not  derive  human 
nature  from  Adam;  and  it  is  completely  a  non  sequitur  in 
its  conclusion,  that  "human  nature' in  humvin  personality'' 
was  the  tiling  represented  by  Adam.  It  is  very  true  that 
the  Saviour  is  not  human  nature  in  human  personality; 
hut  how  does  it  thence  follow  taat  this  must  be  the  reason 
wherefore  he  was  not  included  under  the  first  representa- 
tion? We  say.  and  we  say  correctly,  that  the  destinies  of 
this  whole  world,  of  every  hill  and  mountain,  of  every 
bird  and  beast,  were  summed  up  in  his  who  was  the  head 
of  the  creation.  But  did  all  the??e  possess  <*human  nature 
in  liMman  personality"? — At  all  events,  is  it  not  a  fact 
that  the  Saviour,  from  the  Yevy  constitution  of  his  being, 
could  not  so  possess  human  nature?  and  if  this  must  have 
teen  the  fart,  though  there  were  twenty  or  an  hundred 
good  reasons  why  he  did  not  and  could  not  fall  under  the 
law  of  representation;  and  if  the  fact  must  be  the  same 
though  this  were  not  at  all  tlie  reason;  is  it  not  completely 
a  pctitio  principii  to  infer  that  it  must  Fiave  been  the  rea- 
son, because  the  fact  exists?  And  yet  the  existence  of  the 
fact  is  the  only  argument  wliich  "tiie  fiend"  produces  in 
proof  of  the  assumption!!  But  there  is  anothi^r  tact  which 
sufficiently  explains  the  reason.  The  author  of  "fhe 
fiend"  had  no  other  proof  to  bring.  We  level  no  imputa- 
tion at  the  resources  of  his  mind.  The  fault  is  in  the  po- 
siti')n  he  had  undertaken  to  defend.  It  is  incapable  of 
proof. 

We  might  rest  contented  with  tins  disposition  of  Dr. 
Gray's  two  sophisiris.*    And  we  rvilL  feel  content  to  take 

^  ^i<'Two  sopMsms^\'!  How  true  is  the  old  proverb,  *'like 
pro'iices  like*''/  Br.  Grau^s  fiend  in  represented  as  itself 
consisting  of''Hxvo  sophisms;'^  'ind  it  hardly  gets  to  hnsiness 
before  it  produces  **two  sophisms*^  ra<?re.  Is  not  this  ano- 
ther  'fiend''2 


Of  the  Covenant  of  WorJcs,  g4|^ 

110  furtlier  notice  of  them,  after  having  proposed  another 
problem  for  the  consideration  of  tliat  gentleman.  *If  the 
Saviour  could  not  fall  under  the  representation  of  Adam, 
on  the  ground  that  he  was  not  human  nature  in  huaian 
personality;  how  can  the  children  of  \dam  fall  under  hi.s 
representation,  when  the  same  discrepancy  exists  as  in 
the. other  case? — when  he  is  not)  and  they  are,  human  na- 
ture in  human  personality? 

Dr.  Gray,  then,  has  not  succeeded  in  disproving  the  as- 
sumption that  we  fall  under  Adam's  rpj)resentation  in  vir- 
tue of  being  his  descendants,  that  is  because  we  are  in 
point  of  fact  but  evolutions  of  the  one  system  at  first  sum- 
med up  in  him.  And  therefore  we  have  as  yet  no  reason 
for  deserting  the  position  that  this  repr  sentation  and 
personal  recognition  commence  with  the  beginnings 
of  the  being  thus  evolved.  This  is  in  fact  {Uq 
main  question;  because  on  the  position  that  Adam's 
posterity  fall  under  his  representation  only  at  the  mo- 
ment when  they  become  parts  of  the  system  which  he 
beads,  we  found  our  argument  for  the  similar  evolution 
of  the  system  headed  by  the  •*second  man."  The  bear- 
ings of  this  question  will  at  once  be  seen.  If  Adam  en- 
tered into  covenant  as  the  germ  of  a  great  system,  to  be 
afterwards  developed,  all  the  parts  of  which  were  to  be 
considered  as  parties  to  the  transaction,  and  s  involved 
in  the  destiny  of  the  germ  or  head;  and  if,  at  the  same 
time,  the  covenant  specified  nothing  but  tiit'  party  then 
existing  and  contracting:  it  will  follow  that  all  others 
roust  become  parties,  in  virtue  of  their  actual  rrlation  to/ 
him;  and  consequently  must  become  paities  at  the  time, 
and  not  before,  when  they  become  so  related.  And  it  w  ill 
furthei*  follow  tliat  the  covenant  itself  imposes  no  limits 
on  the  number-to  be  afterwards  brought  under  it,  norre- 
gards  them  in  any  sense  until  they  are  actually  so  brought 
under — But,  on  the  other  hand,  if  the  contracting  par- 
ties definitely  and  specifically  contracted  for,  and  in  rela- 
tion to  certain  individuals;  then  this  very  specification  ne- 
cessarily limits  t!je  operation  to  those  individuals;  and, 
however  many  others  might  descend  from  Adam,  they 
could  not  be  atfected  by  his  full,  inasmuch  as  he  did  not 
stand  in  the  relation  of  a  covenant  head  to  them,— The 

Ji  I 


M'^  Of  the  Covenant  of  Works* 

former  of  these  assumptions  is  adopted  by  the  writer.  The 
latter  by  Dr.  Gray. 

The  appeal  then,  as  to  the  actual  structure  of  the  cove 
nant,  must  be  made  to  the  "living  oracles."     Dr.  Gray 
appeals  to  them:  hear  what  he  says. 

"Before  dropping  the  subject  of  the  covenant  of  works, 
I  bpg  leave  to  make  myself  distinctly  understood,  that  I 
allude  entirely  to  the  transaction  recorded  in  the  17th 
verse  of  the  2d  chapter  of  Genesis. — To  a  covenant  ex- 
pressed  by  Jehovah  in  so  many  words,  and  of  conse- 
quence assented  to  by  Adam.  Other  covenant  of  works 
I  know  none.  The  Holy  Scriptures  are  entirely  igno- 
rant of  any  divine  system  of  religion,  save  the  law  of 
works  and  the  law  of  grace;  at  the  head  of  the  former 
stood  Adam — at  the  head  of  the  latter  stands  Jesus  Christ. 
And  both  these  covenants  were  distinctly  expressed 
IN  WORDS  among  the  contracting  parties,"  Fiend,  p.  -ZS. 

We  have  the  «»words"  in  which  the  covenant  of  works 
was  expressed.  In  what  form  of  "words"  the  eternal 
covenant  of  grace  was  expressed;  or  how  it  could  be  eter- 
nal  and  yet  arij^e  fro^n  a  distinct  expression  in  words,  the 
learned  Doctor  would  very  probably  be  at  a  loss  to  tell.  We 
are  not  denying,  be  it  remembered,  the  eternity  of  the  lat- 
ter 'ovenant;  but  merely  remarking  on  the  strange  cha- 
racter of  this  orthodox  expression. 

*We  have  no  covenant  of  works,  but  that  which  is  ex- 
pressed in  Genesis,  as  above.'  In  this  we  agree.  And 
when  Dr.  Gray  will  pnint  out  any  specification  of  per- 
sot5s  and  any  limitation  of  numbers  in  that  covenant,  we 
will  no  doubt  again  agree.  But  so  long  as  we  believe  with 
Dr.  Gray  that  this  sentence  is  the  very  covenant  of  works 
"distinctly  expressed  in  words,"  and  that  the  scriptures 
acknowledge  no  other  covenant  of  works;  we  must  only 
insist  that  Dr.  Gray  stands  convicted  by  his  own  authf)r- 
ity;  for  here  is  neither  specification  nor  limitation. 

But  perhaps  the  parties  had  the  specification  placed 
mentally  before  t]»em;  so  that  when  the  contract  was  made 
there  was  a  distinct  understanding  on  whom  it  was  to  be 
binding.     O  no.     Hear  Dr.  Gray. 

"From  the  scriptural  account  of  this  whole  transac- 
tion, I  presume  e'very  candid  inquirer  after  truth  will  see 
cause  to  believe  that  when  the  covenant  was  made  with 


Of  the  Covenant  of  WorTcs.  24S 

Adam,  lie  had  not  so  much  as  an  idea  of  any  human  he- 
ini^  bur  himself.  How  should  he?"  Fiend,  p.  15. 
Hear  liim  again. 
"It  IS  not  supposablc  that  Xdam  knew  all  his  posteri- 
ty by  name,  or  could  contemplate  them  individually  by 
name  in  the  covenant  transaction.  I  have  already  said 
that,  at  the  «naking  of  the  covenant,  it  does  not  appear 
that  he  had  any  idea  of  any  humcin  bring  hut  himself.'^ 
Fiend,  p.  -20.  it. 

That  was  sp«)ken  as  becomes  an  honest  man!    But  do 
not  these  appear  to  be  very  unpromising  materials  for  the 
construction  of  a  system,  such  as  Dr.  Gray  would  erect? 
If  the  covenant  contains  no  specific  rJion;  and  if  one  of  the 
parties  knew  nothiuc;;  about  a  spcifiration;  by  wliaf  kind 
of  management  is  it  contrived  to  introduce  one  into  the 
covenant  itself?  It  is  done  on  the  hare  assumption  of  the 
Divine  Oinniscience,  or  rather  decree.     God,  who  made 
the  covenant  with  Adam,  knew  upon  whom  it  was  to  ope- 
rate; intended  that  it  should  operate  within  a  certain  range 
and  no  fariher.  Now  all  this  is  very  good  Divinity.  And 
it  is  a  master  stroke  in  controversy  to  hint  that  it  mav  i)e 
proved   "that  Gud  knew  and  determined  all   his  works 
from  all  eternity.*'*     But  is  it  not  miserable  logic  to  in- 
fer   that  therefore  the  covenant   itself  determined    any 
thing  about  the  matter?     Is  it  not  a  shame  to  confound  so 
pertinaciously  the  constitutions  under  which  God  con- 
d  »cts  his  plans  and    purp  )ses,  wi  h  the  purp'ses  them- 
selves which  it  is  intended  to  accomplish  in   virtue  of 
those  constitutions?     Dr.  Gray  miglit  well  spare  himself 
the  trouble  of  the  demonstration  of  which  he  speaks.    He 
had  before  him  very  sufficient  evidence  that  it  would  be 
needless  labour.f     If  he  could  have  persuaded  himself  to 
**demonstrate  by  the  soundest  pliilosophical  reasoning," 
that  such  a  specification  and  limitation  can  be  predicated 
of  a  contract  or  covenant,  the  formation  of  which  is  neces- 
sarily the  joint  act  of  two  or  more  parties,  and  yet  the  co- 
venant not  contain  them,  and  one  of  the  parties  whose  joint 
act  it  is,  not  know  any  thing  of  them;  we  will  make  bold 
to  say  that  lie  would  have  performed  a  feat  worth  looking 
at,  and  one  that  might  have  done  good  service  in  the  con- 

'^Fiend,  22,  \Body  of  Chrisf,  jmmm. 


'^44  Of  the  Covenant  of  Works. 

trovfTsy.     But  instead  of  doing  this,  he  makes  the  follow- 
ing just  concessions: 

<*There  is  no  qoestion  that  the  covenant,  from  its  own 
nature,  left  tne  number  of  its  subjects  to  be  determined  by 
the  sovereign  wisdom  of  God.  The  law  was  the  law  of 
liunjan  nature,  existing  in  human  personality.  Had  Adam 
fulfilled  the  righteousness  of  that  law,  it  would,  according 
to  the  nature  of  the  covenant,  have  b«"en  transmissible  or 
imputable  to  every  human  person,  be  the  number  more  or 
less,  on  tl'.e  final  catastrophe  of  the  human  drama.  And 
now  that  he  has  sinned,  his  sin  is  imputed  to  every  human 
person,  and  would,  froin  the  nature  of  the  covenant,  be 
jp  •  ted  To  each  one,  were  the  number  a  million  times 
more  than  the}  are,  or  ever  will  be,"     Fiend,  p.  20. 

Jin  the  foregoing  extracts  Dr.  Gray  has  frankly  conce- 
ded every  general  principh  for  which  the  writer  ever  con- 
tended on  this  subject.  The  conclusions  drawn  from  these 
premises  we  apprehended  and  still  a]»prchend  t(»  be  irre- 
sistible. For  if  this  be  the  nature  of  the  covenant,  and  if 
it  contain  within  itself  no  clause  whatsoever,  either  of  spe^ 
cifiration  or  restriction,  and  if  neither  of  these  things 
were  contemplated  in  any  shape  by  one  of  the  parties  con- 
tracting; then  the  particular  results  intended  by  the  otiier 
party  to  be  brought  about  under  the  operation  of  the  cov- 
enant, manifestly  have  no  bearing  tliat  can  affect  in  any 
•way  ihe  principle  of  the  covenant,  or  the  reason  of  its  ope- 
ration. It  would  be  v(  ry  hard  so  to  construe  Adam's  ac- 
quiescence in  the  divine  sovereignty  on  this  point  as  to  give 
it  the  virtue,  ^nd  subject  it  to  the  law,  of  a  covenant  spe- 
cification. 

One  word  more,  and  we  will  have  done  with  this  part 
of  our  subject.  It  appears  that  Dr.  Gray  has  entirely 
mistaken  the  nature  of  the  error  which  he  sets  himself  to 
combat.  «*This  view  does  not  satisfy  Mr.  M*C.  He  in- 
sists, that  Adam  represented  (what  he  calls)  his  own  bo- 
d},  but  not  the  individuals  in  their  distinct  personality." 
Fiend,  p.  23. 

Now  in  what  page  does  "he  insist"  on  this?  Certainly 
not  in  any  of  the  pages  which  contain  expressions  like 
the  f.ll'>wing:  -^the  uni'm  and  representation  in  ques- 
tion are  personal  things, — the  interests  in voUed,  person- 
al interests — and  the  responsibilities  undertaken^  person- 


'Of  the  Covenant  of  Woi^s,  S45 

ill  responsibilities.  The  question  ought  not  to  have  bten, 
whcTher  the  covenarjteng  ».2:emt;!t  and  representation  res* 
pect  persons;  tor  there  we  really  do  not  differ;  hut  upon 
what  princip'e,  and  a^  what  Hme^  this  representation  takes 
plare."^  ♦vAdam,  I  must  repeat  it,  stood,  like  Abraliani 
or  David,  as  a  covenant  head.  The  party  he  contracted 
for  was  his  proi^eny  his  see<?;  but  not  to  the  exclusion  of 
his  individual  ptrson.  Nov\  that  proj>;eny,  I  presume, 
would  be  always  human  persons;  and  as  the  aj^i^regiation 
of  ui  its  cannot  approximate  infiuit; ,  ifthe  covenant  is  to 
be  construed  as  termiuatiui^  on  his  seed,  it  must  have  al- 
ways terminated  on  a  definite  nu<ub<  r.  The  real  diff.  r- 
enve  between  us  relates  to  the  question  whether  the  iiuh*- 
viduals  thus  re[)resented,  were  specifically  named  and  c-^n- 
tracted  for  in  tlie  formation  of  the  covenant  itself."f 

Now,  had  no  such  passa.i^es  as  these  bem  found  in  the 
works  which  Dr.  Gray  was  examinine;,  lie  might  have 
been  held  excusable  for  making  such  a  statement;  inas- 
much as  an  imputation  of  a  similar  kind  holds  a  distin- 
guishe('  place  in  the  libel.  But  as  it  was  abundantly  pro- 
ved in  the  pages  from  hich  the  above  extracts  are  taken, 
that  no  such  sentiment  was  uttered  in  the  originaf  publi- 
cation; and  as  it  is  explicitly  disc  laimed  in  both  tlse  passa- 
ges just  quoted,  and  in  the  pleadings  of  which  they  form 
a  part;  Dr.  Gray  can  have  no  excuse  for  such  persever- 
ance in  the  imputation:  unless  he  find  it  in  the  "stubborn- 
ness" of  tliat  faith  which  he  informs  us  all  good  Calvin^ 
ists  are  prone  to  cherish  The  governor,  who  in  his  pub- 
lic transactions  represents  a  nation,  will  probably  be  ad- 
mitted to  represent  all  the  individuals  of  that  nation;  and 
in  tlieir  "distinct  human  personality"  too.  But  does  ii 
thence  follow  that  he  represonis  at  the  same  time  the  men 
of  future  generations,  or  those  who  though  aliens  at  the 
time  afterwards  become  citizens?  Or  does  it  follow  that 
those  who  are  afterwards  rendered  citizens  have  no  con- 
cern in  the  foregoing  transactions,  and  sustain  no  part  oF 
the  national  responsibility,  when  they  actually  become  cit- 
izens, &eca7<se  they  were  not  represented,  or  in  any  shapa 
recognised,  at  the  period  of  these  transacticms?  Or  does 
it  follow  that  when  they  actually  do  form  a  portion  of 
the  great   community,    and    sustain    a   p  rtion    of   its 

^Circular,  p.  2.  col.  1.  ^Plea,  p.  2^, 


S46  Of  the  Covenant  of  Works. 

old  responsibilities,  they  do  not  do  so  in  their  ^distinct  hu« 
man  personality"? 

The  sum  of  the  matter  then  lies  here.  The  objections 
nra^ed  by  "the  fiend"  prove  a  great  deal  too  much.  They 
lie  equally  a.^ainst  all  systems  or  associations  of  units 
that  are  gradual  in  their  evolution;  and  so  conclude  a- 
gainst  the  reasonableness  of  many  structures  which  do 
exist  in  fact,  and  by  divine  appointment  too.  His  assump- 
tion that  human  nature  «in  human  personality*'  was  the 
object  for  which  Adam  stood  as  a  public  head,  though  tru^ 
in  fact,  as  far  as  it  goes,  has  no  bearing  un  the  question; 
because  it  suggests  no  principle  ol  legal  connexion  be- 
tween the  parties:  and  the  bare  fact  that  they  possessed  a 
common  nature  could  do  no  more  than  adapt  them  for 
membership  in  such  a  system,  it  could  not  possibly  make 
them  members  of  it.  God  might  indeed  unite  them  into 
one  system  by  any  bond  he  pleased;  but  still  there  must  be 
something  to  unite  them,  some  provision  in  pursuance 
of  which  the  federal  identity  might  liave  place.  Now  the 
covenant  itself  alludes  to  no  such  provision.  And  the 
reason  is,  that  there  were  to  be  no  human  beings  tyed  to- 
gether merely  in  consequence  of  their  possessing  a  com- 
mon nature.  All  who  were  t«i  exist  were  to  be  evolved 
from  Adam;  and  from  Eve  downward  they  are  often  spo- 
ken of  as  evolutions  from  him;  they  are  rallet'  Adam;  and 
the  administrator  of  all  earthly  things  treats  them  as  the 
*<first  man." 

We  have  seen  that  the  two  sophisms  of  Dr.  Gray  do 
not  in  the  least  affect  this  statement.  They  are  hid  soph- 
isms. And  while  we  have  the  bible,  and  the  confession  of 
faith,  and  all  antiquity,  and  all  modern  evangelical 
churches  on  our  side,  we  must  still  consider  it  a  very  or- 
tLodox  belief,  that  natural  generation  is  the  bond  of  un- 
ion (the  case  of  Eve  being  an  exception  only  in  the  Jbr??i, 
not  in  relation  to  the  principle^  of  union;  for  she  too  was 
bone  of  Adam's  bone  and  flesh  of  his  flesh).  And  though 
it  be  rather  an  heterodox  inference,  yet  it  is  very  plainly 
a  logical  one,  that  if  natural  generation,  or  the  fact  of  our 
being  but  evolutions  of  the  first  man,  brings  us  under  the 
covenant  of  works;  then  no  one  is  under  it  until  he  is  ac- 
tually in  being.  And  as  the  ci»venant  says  nothing  about 
^ny  one  in  particular,  but   is  addressed  formally  to  A- 


Of  the  Covenant  of  Gvaai.  ^^J 

dam,  it  does  not  of  course  reco^«;nize  others  in  any  sense,, 
till  they  become  one  with  Adam. 

It  is  a  little  strange,  and  not  a  little  provokin.s;,  that  sm 
inference  so  distinctly  urged  by  the  standards  of  the 
church,*  and  so  frequently  acknowledged  by  her  stand- 
ard writers,!  should  now  be  hooted  at,  and  its  abett  r  pro- 
secuted to  the  uttermost,  merely  because  it  is  proved  to 
lead  to  certain  conclusions  which  certain ''stubborn"  Cal- 
vinists  do  not  like.  And  yet  they— they  oifi,y— -are  Cal- 
vinists!! 

SECTION  III. 

Of  the  Covenant  of  Grace. 

IT  was  deemed  a  point  of  much  importance  to  ascer» 
tain  disiincily  the  form  of  the  covenant  of  works,  and 
the  structure  of  the  system  to  wliich  it  has  respect:  be- 
cause we  are  taught  in  scripture  to  regard  tliem  as  the 
patterns  of  the  second  covenant,  and  of  the  structure  tu 
which  it  has  respect.  As  this  matter  was  agitated  at  ve- 
ry considerable  length  in  the  publications  noticed  by  Dr. 
Gray,  it  created  no  little  surprise  to  meet  with  the  follow- 
ing sentence  in  that  gentleman's  performance. 

««I  confess  I  have  been  astonished  not  to  find  in  any  of 
Mr.  M*(7s  publications,  a  single  glance  at  the  eternal 
covenant  between  the  Father  and  the  Son."  Fiend,  p.  43* 

Now,  if  Dr.  Gray  will  turn  to  tlie  first  publirati>n  (Bo- 
dy of  Christ),  he  will  find  this  covenant  mentioned,  and 
made  the  subject  of  special  discussion  at  pages  183,  187^ 
iDt,  196,  203,  209,  220.  221.  We  cannol  take  up  roomi 
with  quotations  from  these  pages;  because  as  the  whole, 
burden  of  the  essay  from  page  183  to  page  221  is  de~ 
voted  to  the  consideration  and  illu'^tration  of  that  very 
covenant  of  grace,  either  in  its  form  or  in  its  operations^ 
it  would  be  difficult  to  rendt  r  the  meaning  of  a  brief  ex* 
tract  obvious  But  that  very  covenant  happ  'ns  to  be  no* 
med  in  all  the  pagf^s  refered  to.  In  severaJ  of  the  jjnssa* 
ges  it  is  indeed  called  a  '^compact,'*  but  Mr.  Gray  is  too 
good  a  scholar  to  hesitsto  about  the  particular  word  by 
which  the  contract  is  expn^ssed. 

^Lar'j;eT  Catechism,  Q.  26. 

^Ssc  quotations  in  Vita*  p.  p.  38—45. 


S48  Of  the  Covenant  of  Grace, 

It  is  also  worthy  notice  that  about  one- third  of  the  cir- 
cv\\  V  placed  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  Gray  is  filled  with  re- 
marks upon  that  same  transaction.  We  quote  one  sen- 
tence froiu  the  former  part  of  them.  <*Mv  position  is, 
that  the  covenant  of  grace  was  made  with  the  Son,  in  the 
character  of  Messiah,  and  not  with  a  view  to  his  assump- 
tion of  that  character."  And  this  position  is  demonstra- 
ted at  considerable  lengtii. 

The  covenant  of  grace  is  also  made  the  main  subject  of 
consideration  in  the  Plea,  from  page  47  to  the  end;  i.  e. 
through  thirty-three  large  octavo  pages;  and  it  is  snen- 
tioned  not  less  than  twenty,  and  probably  fifty,  times  in  the 
course  of  the  discussion. 

The  covenant  which  is  in  all  those  passages  demon- 
strated to  be  constructed  and  carried  into  effect  upon  the 
principles  and  in  the  manner  previously  ascertained  in 
relation  to  the  covenant  of  works,  is  indeed  that  very  "e- 
ternal  covenant  between  the  Father  and  the  Son,"  a  sin- 
gle glance  at  which  the  reviewer  could  not  discover.  If 
Dr.  Gray  had  not  looked  at  this  argument  with  a  very 
jaundiced  eye  he  must  have  been  spared  the  trouble  of 
writing  down  such  a  question  as  this,  "why  did  he  not  pro- 
fessedly examine  whether  tl^^  scriptures  reveal  an  eter- 
nal covenant  between  ihe  Father  and  the  Son?*'^     , 

The  fiict  is,  that  the  existence  of  a  covenant — that 
COVENANT  OF  GRACE — is  assumed  as  common  ground, 
through  all  the  publications  of  tlie  writer;  and  if  it  so  hap- 
pened that  he  did  not  ^^professedly  examine"  whethvnnhat 
covenant  is  or  is  not  eternaL  it  was  because  the  question 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  professed  objects  of  discussion. 
These  had  respect  to  the  principle  and  to  the  opera- 
tion of  the  covenant,  not  to  the  date  of  it.  If  it  uiU 
give  Dr.  Gray  any  pleasure  we  will  admit,  and  we  do  ad- 
mit, the  eternity  of  tins  covenant. 

But  says  the  Doctor,  «*the  wliole  amoj?nt  of  his  reason- 
ing i^oestothe  denial  of  such  a  transaction."!  Now  is  it  not 
very  strange  that  this  should  be  so,  when  the  direct  and 
specific  object  of  the  wh  de  inquiry  is  to  ascertain  the  si^ 
anilitude  between  that  transaction  and  tlie  structure  which 
it  respects,  and  the  covenant  of  works  together  with  the 
structure  to  w  ich  it. refers! 


Of  the  Covenant  of  Grace.  S49 

There  is  another  point  of  view,  however,  in  wliich  the 
discussion  of  the  eternity  of  the  covenant  would  seem  to 
Lave  a  bearing  on  the  general  question  The  fiend  de- 
clares that  if  the  body  of  Chris^  is  Constructed  and  managed 
upon  the  principle  of  gradual  evolution  "there  could  be 
no  such  thing  is  an  eternal  covenant,  because  there  was 
nothing  to  represent/'*  We  have  only  to  reply,  be  it 
so  The  great  inquiry  is,  whether  the  sciiptures  do  not 
teach  that  the  evolution  of  the  church  or  body  of  the  sa- 
ved is  progressive;  and  wh  tlier  all  such  as  are  aliens  from 
the  body  are  not  also  strangers  from  the  covenants.  Both 
these  points  we  belii;ve  to  liave  been  unanswerably  estab- 
lished from  the  scriptures.  And  if  Dr.  Gray  can  fairly  infer 
ire  m  them  the  non-eternity  of  th^  covenant  of  grace,  we 
will  be  willing  to  admit  his  inference,  liut  we  must  nev- 
ertlieless  protest  against  the  premises  on  which  he  at- 
tempts to  build  it.  The  objection  that  there  would  be  no- 
thing to  represent  has  been  already  met  In  the  circular 
Setter  we  have  these  words; 

<*1  know  that  if  may  be  objected  to  me,  that  upon  this 
la*t  assumption."  (viz.  that  the  representation  of  a  non- 
entity is  impossible)  "neither  Adam  nor  Christ  could  have 
entered  into  covenant  as  representatives  of  any  thing 
but  themselves,  inasnuch  as  <  one  of  their  respective  seed 
existed.  The  objection  is  specious;  it  is  not  solid.  Let 
us  adver*^  to  the  principle  already  first  established.  The 
covenant  knows  us,  the  law  knows  us,  not  as  individuals, 
but  as  systems  identified  with  two  several  heads.  We  are 
but  known  in  Adam,  we  are  bur  known  in  Christ:  vvc  are 
but  Adam  developed,  we  are  but  Christ  developed.  N  nv 
the  objection  supposes  one  individual,  so  vieued  in  the 
transaction,  bargaining  in  behalf  of  other  individuals, 
who  become  relat*  d  to  him  in  pursuance  of  such  bargain. 
But  our  fact  evinces  a  morid  system,  in  which  the  head  is 
the  germ,  and  all  subsequent  parts  that  germ  unfolded;  so 
that  the  moral  bring  making  the  covenant,  thougli  nu- 
merically one,  and  the  moral  being  reaping  the  fruits  of 
its  consummation,  thous;h  developed  in  millions  of  distinct 
SJibsistences,  are  fjtill  in  the  eye  of  the  law  iilcntically  the 
same,  and  under  the  operation  of  the  covenant  still  nw* 

FiemU  ^6. 

M  m 


'^50  Of  the  Covenant  of  &rac^, 

merically  one.  The  objection  therefore  does  not  lie.^ 
Circular,  p.  3.  col.  1. 

Dr.  Gray  may  not  see  the  reason,  but  he  knows  the 
fact  that  the  largest  tree  is  the  very  same  being  with  the 
germ  of  the  fruit  from  which  it  sprang;  that  a  full  grown 
man  is  identically  the  same  person  with  the  child,  and  e- 
ven  embryo,  to  whicli  he  traces  back  his  existence;  and 
that  a  nation,  with  all  its  millions  and  with  all  its  improve- 
ments, is  the  very  same  body  with  the  small  and  savage 
horde  to  which  we  refer  its  origin.  Now  what  is  the 
gpeat  difficulty  of  admitting  this  principle  in  relation  to 
llie  Church  of  God?  Why  might  not  a  covenant,  made 
sin/^ly  with  the  Mediator,  afterwards  embrace  millions  of 
indixnduals,  precisely  in  the  order  of  their  union  with 
him?  But  in  the  works  reviewed  by  Dr.  Gray,  we  did 
more  than  make  out  that  rhe  thing  might  be  so.  It  was 
made  out  that  it  actually  was  so.  What  says  the  circu- 
lar? 

After  quoting  Galatians  iii.  15,  16,  17,  "Brethren,  I 
speak  after  the  manner  of  men;  though  it  be  but  a  man's 
covenant,  yet  if  it  be  confirmed,  no  man  disannulleth  or 
addeth  thereto.  Now  to  Abraham  and  his  seed  were  the 
p]  oii.ises  made.  He  saith  not,  and  to  seeds,  as  of  ma- 
ny; but  to  thy  SEED,  which  is  Christ.  And  this  I  say, 
thjtt  the  covenant  which  was  confirmed  before  of  God  in 
Christ,  the  law  cannot  disdnnul:"  The  circular  goes  on 
t  >  say,  **It  is  manifest  that  the  promises  mentioned  in  the 
16ih  verse,  are  the  same  with  the  covenant  of  the  17th. 
Ti'is  appears  from  the  Apostle's  allusion  in  the  15th  verse, 
by  which  he  professes  to  confirm  and  illustrate  the  alle- 
g  ti  ns  of  the  succeeding  two.  And  the  whole  of  the  jM'e- 
ceriiiig  context  will  shew  that  the  covenant  of  the  17th 
Yersp,  is  none  other  than  the  covenant  of  grace — the  cov- 
enant of  grace  announced  and  confirmed  to  Abraham  as 
the  father  of  the  faithful  and  type  of  Messiah.  Now  the  A- 
postle  is  explicit  in  his  statement  that  this  covenant  was 
not  made,  these  promises  were  not  given,  with  a  respect  to 
«*>ma»iy."but  to  ««one";  and  that  on©,  the  *<seeid" — the 
^Messiah  as  identified  with  his  people.''     Page  2.  col.  2. 

If  then  the  covenant  of  grace  was  made  with  ««one  '* 
and  tUhers  are  made*parties  to  it  in  pursuance  of  their  iden- 
tification with  that  one  «<seed"f  by  what  kind  of  process 


Of  the  Covenant  of  Grace^  351 

can  the  inference  be  made  out,  that  unless  the  elect  had 
been  parties,  formally  so  considered,  to  the  covenant  at 
first,  it  never  could  have  been  framed  at  all;  and  so  can- 
not be  an  eternal  covenant? 

But  the  truth  is  that  Dr.  Gray  loses  sight  altogether  of 
that  transaction  which  the  scriptures  authorise  us  to  call 
the  covenant  of  grace;  and  bends  all  his  force  to  prove  the 
existence  of  another  covenant,  as  he  calls  it,  which  is  nei». 
ther  more  nor  less  than  a  kind  of  contract  between  the 
first  and  second  persons  of  the  blessed  Trinity,  each  one 
acting  in  his  proper  and  essential  ch  racter;  the  object  of 
which  is  to  secure  the  salvation  of  the  elect,  and  one  of  the 
provisions  of  which  is,  that  the  Son  of  God  should  there- 
after, and  to  that  end,  assume  the  character  and  responsi- 
bilities of  the  second  Adam.  Whether  Dr.  Gray  has  made 
out  his  point  will  be  a  subject  of  future  inquiry.  We  have 
at  present  another  question  to  settle:  Provided  the  Doc- 
tor had  made  out  his  point,  fully  and  unanswerably,  what 
would  be  gained  by  him  in  the  present  controversy?  Any 
sucli  an  agreement  betv/een  the  persons  of  the  Trinity 
would  have  no  immediate  relation  to  <'the  covenant  of 
grace."  Much  less  could  it  be  considered  as  that  very 
covenant.  Because  such  a  transaction,  provided  it  did 
take  place,  must  differ  from  the  last  named  covenant  both 
in  circumstance  and  form. 

The  covenant  of  grace  was  made  with  the  second  A- 
dam,  and  stands  good  with  all  who  are  identified  with 
him,  under  the  formal  consideration  of  their  being  par* 
TIES  10  the  same;  precisely  as  the  covenant  of  works  was 
made  with  the  first  Adam,  under  the  formal  cliaracter  of 
a  federative  head,  or  of  a  being  afterwards  to  be  develop- 
ed into  many  distinct  subsistences,  who  as  they  came  into 
being  were  to  stand  as  parties  too.  Or,  if  it  be  possible 
to  speak  plainer,  it  was  with  Adam  as  a  federative  head 
that  the  first  covenant  was  made;  and  it  was  with  Christ 
as  a  federative  head — as  the  seed  of  Abraham — that  the 
second  covenant  was  made:  and  neither  of  these  cove- 
nants contemplate  the  human  race  as  persons  bargained 
for;  but  as  parties,  properly  so  called,  who  are  bound  by 
the  covenants,  under  tiie  formal  consideration  of  their  be- 
ing parties  to  tliem.  It  is  thus  that  the  scriptures  speak  of 
these  two  covenants.     It  is  thus  also  that  the  Wostmin- 


^52  Of  the  Covmanf  of  Graces 

ster  confpssion  of  faith  always  represents  the  mattei'v 
And  if  it  involve  a  false  assumption,  that  assumption  ron- 
sists  merely  in  dating  too  soon  the  cominencemeni  e«f  the 
covenant  relation.  It  rightly  make^  t'lem  parties,  not 
subjects  ronti'acted /jr:  hut  then,  hy  rendering  thvir  stand- 
ing, as  parties,  co-e\al  with  Messiah's  assumption  of  liis 
office,  it  in  some  sort  arrays  th«  m  in  one  of  the  incommu- 
nicable attributes  of  God-head;  it  represents  them  as  sus- 
taining eternal  r.  lations,  and  of  course  as  having  some 
sort  of  eternity  of  being,  suffici?  nth  real  to  fall  under  the 
Cognizance  of  Jaw,  Now  how  we  are  to  a^ray  a  creature 
in  any  of  the  attributes  of  infinity,  how  an  eternal  rela- 
tion ca  be  other  than  a  necessary  relation,  it  will  lie  up- 
on Dr.  Gray  to  shew.  We  know  that  this  argument 
would  reach  somewhat  further.  He  who  will  may  follow  it. 

But  what  is  to  be  the  mean  of  cscap<'  from  this  dilem- 
ma.^ This,  gentle  reader,  this  will  doubtless  be  the  mean. 
The  plain  scriptural  doctrine  that  the  covenant  of  grace 
was  made  with  the  second  Adam;  and  the  doctrine 
of  the  confession  that  all  believers  are  consider- 
ed as  parties  to  that  covenant,  (all  the  elect  indeed  the 
confes4on  will  have  it): — b^ith  these  ancient  and  cor- 
rect positions  are  to  be  scouted  as  a  part  of  the  philosophy , 
Uot  of  the  doctrines,^  ^>f  the  ancient  churches;  and  we  are 
to  be  told  that  the  Calvinist  never  meant  any  thing  else 
than  that  the  elect  were  parties  contracted  for  and  are  al« 
ways  considered  as  rhe  subjects  of  the  contract,  not  as  be- 
ings who  stand  in  the  relation  of  actual  contractors. 

I  say,  w^e  may  expect  this  kind  of  language  in  the  next 
exposition;  for  it  is  obvious  that  any  other  view  of  the  sub- 
ject cannot  possibly  relieve  Dr.  Gray  and  those  who  think 
with  him,  from  manifold  dilemmas.  Indeed,  what  is  the 
amount  of  all  the  Doctor's  texts  and  criticisms,  and  new 
trnnslations,  and  unathorised  supplements,  but  to  make 
out  this  very  point.  But  from  all  such  criticisms  that 
gentleman  can  certainly  gain  notiiing,  so  long  as  he  con- 
fesses that  the  transactions  there  refered  to  relate  to  the 
agreements  and  arrangements  in  pursuance  of  which  the 
^Son  of  God  assumed  the  office  of  Mediator;  and  not  to  the 

^Jln  admirably  iil^enious  and  safe  distinction!  Fiend* 
page  dU 


Of  the  Covenant  of  ihmee,  S53 

covenant,  or  wbati  ver  yow  please  to  call  it,  by  vvliich  lie 
stoofi  bound  as  tbe  seed  of  Abrabam. 

And  it  is  not  only  in  relation  to  tlie  circumstances  under 
wbich,  ;ind  tbe  parties  bet  Aeen  wboin,tbe  covenant  of  graco 
was  fiaiiied,  tliat  Dr.  Gray  apj  ears  to  err.  He  is  no  1;  ss 
wideof  bis  markwi  brespe«  t  to  tbe  real  usesofsucb  a  tr;r^s- 
action.  He  supposes  it  necessary  tbat  the  covenant  sbould 
exist  in  <irder  to  enlist  tbe  faitbfuln*^  ss  of  tbe  Fatber  and 
of  tbe  Son  t )  guaranty  tbe  performanc  e  of  tbcir  respect- 
ive p'-^rts,  and  to  insure  tbeir  aid  respectively  f  r  tbe  ac- 
complisbment  of  tlie  salvation  of  all  wbom  it  was  intend- 
ed to  deliver.  Accordingly  all  tbe  passages  wbich  Dr. 
Gray  quotes  have  a  reference  to  ibis  question  of  faitbi 
fulness  on  eitber  part.  And  these  scriptui'-es,  we  are  to 
jM'esume,  are  tbe  very  words  in  wbicb  tbe  covenant  of 
grace  was  originally  coucbed.*  But  in  tbe  covenant  of 
ivorks  far  otber  end  was  cont^ujplated  than  binding  ei- 
tber party  to  faithfulness.  In  trutb  it  did  not  bind  A- 
da:i;  to  faithfulness.  He  fell.  But  this  it  did  do: 
it  identified  completely,  and  eternally,  tbe  standini;  •  nd 
destinies  of  each  of  his  descendants,  with  bis  own  stand- 
ini";  and  destiny.  And  this  was  tbe  object  to  be  accom- 
plished by  eitber  covenant.  *'Do,  and  thou  shalt  livcj'* 
said  God  to  the  first  Adam:  <Do,  and  thou  shalt  live,"  he 
said  also  to  tbe  second  \dam.  And  in  virtue  of  tins  com- 
pact, all  v^ho  inherit  as  parties  identified  with  eitber  fed- 
erative head,  take  tbeir  station  and  tbe  destinies  connected 
with  it*  as  the  strict  and  rigorous  award  of  law.  Thus,  had 
Adam  stood,  felicity  would  have  fallen  to  each  of  bis  des- 
cendants, not  merely  as  a  boon  which  the  God  of  goodness 
might  imparl  t  will,  without  infr  inging  on  any  claim  of 
righteousness;  but  as  a  meed  wbicli  strict  righteousness 
awarded:  so  that  tbe  Creators  attributes  would  have 
shone  together,  and  in  all  their  lustre;  he  would  have  bten 
strictly  righteous  while  supremely  good.  This  we  ap- 
prehend to  be  the  bearing  of  a  covenant  made  with  a  f<'d- 
crative  bead:  it  formally  and  necessarily  involves  all  v.h# 
fall  nnder  his  representation  in  his  fate;  and  declares  m  st 
explicitly  the  righteousness  of  God.  in  every  deed  of  gojd- 
n-  ss  as  well  as  of  severity.  Obviously,  then,  if  a  siuular 
object  were  intended  in  the  second  covenaht,  it  must  niive 

^FkmU  23 


S54  Of  the  Codenanf  of  Grac6^ 

been  in  form  and  in  circumstance  a  copy  of  the  first.  Tire 
language  of  it  must  have  been  <*(lo  and  live;"  and  it  must 
have  been  made  with  the  second  Adam,  that  all  the  second 
Adam's  sons  might  be  enabled  to  plead  the  covenant,  might 
raise  their  voices  as  parties  to  the  covenant,  might  say, 
*we  have  done;  we  therefore  claim  to  live-' 

This  idea  is  not  onlv  involved  in  all  the  scriptural  al- 
lusions to  the  covenant  of  grace,  but  it  is  explicitiy  stated 
bj'  the  Apostle  Paul  in  bis  epistle  to  the  Galatians.=^  Je- 
sus Christ  ^«was  made  under  the  law;"  and  law  and  cove- 
nant, as  Dr.  liray  well  knows,  are  convertible  terms  in 
all  the  doctrinal  writings  of  this  Apostle.  The  Apostle's 
idea  is  this,  as  the  whole  drift  and  declared  intention  of 
the  passage  sufficiently  evince:  Jesus  Christ  was  substi- 
tuted in  the  room  of  Adam^  as  a  second  covenant  head? 
to  redeem  by  his  obedience  those  who  were  perishing  by 
the  first  Adam's  disobedience,  and  in  virtue  of  the  provis- 
ion of  that  same  covenant. 

But  we  are  restricted  to  a  very  limited  number  of  pa- 
ges, and  can  do  no  more  than  suggest  a  course  of  argu- 
ment on  this  subject  to  those  who  have  leiiure  and  feel  a 
disposition  to  pursue  it.  We  will  therefore  simply  re- 
mark in  conclusion,  that  Dr.  Gray  would  have  done  well 
to  have  expended  some  of  those  pages  which  he  has  wast- 
ed  in  useless  criticism,  and  still  more  useless  inuendo,  in 
solving  the  problem  proposed  for  the  exercise  of  his  own 
and  his  friends'  ingenuity  at  pages  61  and  62  of  tlte 
*<Plea."  Why  did  Dr.  Gray  attempt  to  escape,  amid  the 
noise  of  his  own  quotations  and  the  smoke  of  his  critical 
battery,  without  once  attempting  to  shew  how  the  elect 
might  be  considered  both  as  contracting  parties  in  the 
covenant,  and  inactive  subjects  merely  contracted  for  by 
the  Son  of  God  in  his  original  character?  Why  did  he  not 
tell  us  which  of  these  two  forms  he  supposes  to  be  the  cov- 
enant of  grace?  Or  why  did  he  not  reconcile  his  own  and 
his  friend's  apparent  inconsistency  in  sometimes  speaking 
of  the  one,  sometimes  of  the  other,  and  sometimes  of  both 
together,  as  if  they  were  or  could  be  one  and  the  same 
thing?  Finally,  why  did  he  throw  out  so  many  inuen- 
does  for  the  purpose  of  fixing  upon  the  writer  the  stigma  of 
holding  that  Hiere  is  no  covenant  of  grace  at  all? 

But  We  liave  one  word  to  say  in  relation  to  the  array 
^Gal,  iv.  4. 


Of  the  Covenant  of  Grace,  g55 

which  the  fiend  has  presented  in  aid«of  Dr.  Gray's  notion 
of  the  covenant  of  grace.  In  Proverbs  viii.  22,  &c.  we 
have  Messiah's  assertion  of  his  character  and  pirpo.- 
ses.  Dr.  Gray  imagines  that  we  have  a  great  deal  more. 
But  there  are  two  or  three  things  whicli  he  has  yet  to  make 
out,  before  that  passage  will  subserve  the  purpose  foi* 
which  it  was  introduced. 

1.  Admitting  that  the  Son  of  God  was  "anointed  a  co- 
venant head"  from  all  eternity,  as  the  Doctor  translates  it 
by  a  \ery  bold  periphrasis,  yet  it  by  no  means  follows 
that  therefore  he  was  also  from  all  eternity  the  represent- 
ative of  his  people.  It  will  be  recollected  that  Dr.  Gray 
relinquishes  that  idea  many  a  time  and  oft,  and  speaks  of 
Messiah  as  acting  in  his  essential  character,  when  he^ 
made  the  covenant,  and  as  agreeiiigto  become  a  Media- 
tor on  certain  specifications,  of  which  the  Doctor  assures 
lis  he  knows  the  very  words.  But  here  we  have  him  back 
a.^ain  to  another  form  of  the  covenant,  according  to  whirh 
the  Saviour  sits  "anointed  a  covenant  head."  We  would 
gladly  avoid  every  appearance  of  a  levity  which  we  most 
certainly  do  not  feel,  when  attempting  the  discussion  of 
this  awful  theme:  but  still  we  cannot  avoid  saying  that  it 
is  very  much  to  be  wished  that  the  author  of  the  fiend,  and 
divers  others,  would  say  distinctly  which  of  these  forms 
they  attribute  to  the  covenant  of  grace:  and  then  stick  to 
that  one,  without  this  incessant  shifting  of  meaning  and 
expression,  while  professedly  talking  about  one  and  th« 
same  thing.  The  anointing  in  question  does  not  even 
glance  at  the  solution  of  the  problem  whether  the  Son  of 
God.  considered  as  the  anointed  Saviour,  stood  as  the 
germ  of  a  system,  like  Adam  afterwards  stood  the  germ 
of  his  system;  or  whether  all  who  were  to  be  saved  were 
distinctly  recognized  as  parties  to  the  transaction  wiien 
the  anointing  took  place,  ^ow  that  is  the  very  question, 
and  it  is  the  only  question,  on  which  the  w  riter  is,  or  ev- 
er was,  at  issue  with  Dr.  Gray. 

That  gentleman  indeed  remarks  that  if  Messiah  was  a 
covenant  head,  he  must  have  been  a  representative;  and 
of  course  a  representative  of  some  other  than  himself;  and 
be  afterwards  adds,  with  an  -ir  of  triumph  rather  than  of 
discretion,  "most  undoubtedly  hg  did  nj#t  come  into  thia 


^56  Of  the  Covenant  of  Graces 

world  to  seek  and  to  save  the  Son  of  God.'*-^  But  the 
Doctor  errs  in  supposing  that  because  he  was  a  cove- 
head,  he  was  therefore  necessarily  a  representa** 
tive  too.  Adam  was  a  covenant  head,  but  he  was 
no  representative  till  there  existed  bein.i^s  to  whom  he 
might  sustain  the  relation.  He  was  the  germ  of  a  system 
to  be  devt'loped;  and  vvhen  that  covenant  was  made  to 
whicli  jjis  posterity  are  now  parties,  the  whole  of  its  re- 
ferences centered  i  ■  himself.  So  the  Son  of  God  was  an- 
ointed a  covenant  head,  as  the  second  Adam,  and  when 
the  covenant  was  made,  all  its  references  centered  in  liiip: 
to  him  that  rescript  was  directed,  <*do  and  live,"  He  did 
d  -:  he  does  live.  And  because  the  members  which  were 
in  process  of  time  united  with  him  were  guilty  and  pollu- 
ted, he  was  liiaiself  *Miiade  sin,"  and  he  therefore  died  the 
death. 

But  there  is  included  under  the  expression  of  Dr.  Gray 
just  quoted,  an  oblique  insinuation  that  the  Saviour  had 
no  personal  interest  in  the  fruits  of  his  obedience;  but 
that  the  benefit  flows  exclusively  to  his  people,  l^iis, 
however,  is  not  the  doctrine  of  the  scriptures.  Whatever 
might  be  said  of  the  Son  of  Gr)d  in  his  essential  character, 
it  is  certain  that  the  Sju  of  God  in  the  character  of  Medi- 
ator w^as  "m^sde  under  the  Iavv."f  By  consequence  that 
Jaw  was  to  aifect  him  personally,  and  was  to  be  the  ground 
of  all  that  was  to  be  awarded  to  him  as  second  Adamy 
just  as  really  and  as  fully  as  it  was  made  the  ground  of  re- 
compense to  the  fiest  Adam.  And  it  is  really  in  virtue  of 
the  sentence  of  that  law  that  the  Saviour  inljerits  life,  con* 
sidered  as  the  God-man.  How  else  would  it  be  true  that 
he  and  his  people  are  <<heirs  together" — ♦-joint  heirs,"  as 
they  are  often  called,  of  every  thing  which  they  ever 
shidl  inherit.  The  idea,  therefore,  that  the  righteousness 
of  which  others  are  made  partakers  is  one  of  which  tlie 
Saviour  has  himself  \m  need,  is  contrary  to  the  uniform 
tenor  of  scripture.  It'  he  was  made  under  the  law,  he 
was  also  subject  to  the  law  from  the  moment  that  he  was 
'so  made;  and  he  is  himself  an  heir  of  the  promises,  because 
lie  has  fulfiijed  the  whole  of  the  conditions. 

There  is  therefore  no  raore  difliculty  in  supposing  that 

'^ Fiend,  46.  /  jGaL  n\  ^. 


Of  the  Covenant  of  Grace,  %&y 

the  covenant  of  grace  might  have  its  aspect  directed  sole* 
\y  to  Messiah  in  the  first  instance,  than  that  the  covenant 
of  works  referred  at  first  dirtctly  and  exclusively  to  the 
first  Adam.  Both  of  them  were  germs  to  be  afterwards 
unfolded;  each  of  them  was  '^dam;  and  the  children  of  ei- 
ther inherit  upon  precisely  one  and  tiie  same  principle* 
THEREroRE,  to  prove  that  Messiah  was  anointed  a  cov- 
enant head,  is  proving  nothing  to  the  purpose.  We  ad- 
mit it.  And  we  admit,  moreover,  that  the  ohjects  con- 
templated were  precisely  those,  which  shall  he  in  due  time 
effected;  and  tliat  the  parties  contemplated  were  those 
which  shall  he  saved.  But  these  are  objects  which  it  is 
designed  to  accomplish  in  virtue  of  the  covenanv,  and  by 
the  operation  of  the  system:  they  are  to  be  distinguished 
from  the  matter  in  contr  >versy;for  they  never  liave  been 
called  in  question  in  the  course  of  this  controversy,  though 
they  have  been  very  frequently  and  very  gravely  prov<  d. 

2.  We  have  nothing  to  object  to  the  Doctor's  n«^'W 
translation  of  the  word  rendered  »'I  was  brought  forth." 
The  Saviour  is  asserting  his  own  proper  deity,  a  point 
on  which  it  is  very  likely  some  Jews,  as  w(  11  as  S(jme  d  n- 
tiles,  needed  a  little  instruction.  But  when  Dr.  Gray 
himself  admits  that  it  expresses  the  essetnial  and  eternal 
relation  between  the  Fatiier  and  the  Son,  he  surely  can-* 
not  intend  that  the  unlearned  should  regard  his  criticism 
as  ajjother  proof  of  his  position!  Me  surely  does  not  in- 
troduce the  word  as  a  proof  that  the  second  Adam  *«  vas 
brought  forth  when  there  were  no  di  ptis*'!  Ber  ause 
if  he  does,  he  confounds  the  office  and  the  attributes 
and  all  the  relations  of  the  Saviour,  considered  as  such, 
with  the  essential  character,  attributes  and  relations  of 
the  second  person  of  the  trinity,  ess^^ntially  considered. 
And  yet,  if  he  does  not  intend  tisis,  v»  iia-T  does  he  in- 
TENfi,  by  introducing  such  a  criticism? 

We  have  not  room  to  say  a  single  word  on  the  other 
passages  introduced  by  the  Doctor.  Only  let  it  be  ob- 
served that  he  interprets  pr  j)hecies  of  tilings  t!iat  were 
to  be,  as  if  they  wei'c  dortrinal  declarations  of  tilings  that 
had  always*  been,  and  still  goes  on  confounding  the  piir- 

*AiTion£^  other  thincs,  we  are  -eferred  to  Psalm  ii.  5.  in 
evidence  that  the  covena  ^    '  »Tace  is  eternal,  and  of  cour§© 

N  n 


'^8  Of  the  Covenant  of  Grace. 

poses  of  God,  because  they  are  declared,  with  the  deline- 
ations  of  the  principle  on  wJiich  they  are  to  be  brought 
about.  We  have  no  dispute  with  Dr.  Gray,  or  with  any 
other  mortal,  about  tliese  purposes:  and  again  reminding 
him  of  this,  we  will  only  beg  leave  further  to  remind  lum 
of  the  principle  laid  down  by  that  same  John  Calvin 
whom  he  makes  free  to  contradict  just  about  as  often  as 
he  praises  him.  The  position  of  Calvin  is,  that  the  de- 
cree of  God  affects  nothing  in  point  jf  law:  and  it  is  a 
common  sense  position.  It  would  shed  a  flood  of  light 
upon  many  of  those  passages  which  the  Doctor  introdu* 
ces  to  prop  his  particular  views. 

On  the  whole  then,  Dr.  Gray  has  furnished  no  refuta- 
tion of  the  ideas  that  the  covenant  of  grace  is  the  same  in 
subsitance  and  similar  in  form  with  the  covenant  of  works; 
and  that  each  of  these  covenants  have  their  bearing  upon 
the  system,  in  every  stage  of  it,  precisely  as  it  then  is. 

In  dismissing  this  subject,  it  may  be  proper  to  remark 
that  the  position  that  no  person  can  be  at  the  same  time 
a  member  of  both  systeuis,  and  under  both  covenants,  has 
not  attracted  the  notice  of  the  fiend.  This  appears  rath- 
er strange!  because  having  proved  it  to  be  a  scriptural  po« 
sition,  and  having  brought  a  host  of  quotations  to  shew 
that  the  standard  Calvinistic  writers  admit  and  teach  the 
same,  it  seemed  to  us,  and  such  is  still  our  impression^ 
that  all  the  logicians  in  the  world  could  not  aid  the  Doc- 
tor in  getting  clear  of  the  main  conclusion  so  long  as  this 
position  remains  unassailed. 


(though  it  does  not  follow  of  course,)  that  all  the  elect  were 
eiernally  and  specifically  coiitemplated  in  it.  Now  the 
Aposdes  repeatedly  quote  this  psalm,  and  always  as  a  proph- 
ecy of  Messiah's  future  triumphs.  Thus  they  do  in  Acts 
iv.  25,  26.  ard  xiii.  33.  It  looks  therefore  something  like  a 
perversion  of  scripture  to  convert  a  prophecj  of  things  that 
shall  be  into  a  declaration  of  what  has  always  been.  This  is 
the  r  ore  unseennly  in  the  pi  esent  instance;  because  anointing 
with  oil  is  the  scriptural  enblem  of  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spir- 
it; and  it  is  intended  to  teach  all  rulers  and  officers  their  de- 
pendence on  him  for  sanctity  and  wisdon)  and  strength.  We 
apprehend,  therefore,  that  it  was  at  the  baptism  in  Jordan 
this  prophecy  began*  to  be  fulfilled. 


■Brai/s  Theory,  259 

SECTION  IV. 

Grayed  Theory, 

As  the  offensive  conclusions  in  the  writer's  publications 
had  all  been  predicated  on  these  two  principles,  1st,  that 
federal  unity,  in  point  of  fact,  is  the  ground  of  federal  im- 
putation in  point  of  law;  and  2d,  that  the  covenant  of 
works  is  the  model  of  tlie  covenant  of  grace;  Dr.  Gray 
has  found  it  necessary  to  assail  both  of  these  positions* 
And  in  fact  his  new  theory,  as  he  would  have  us  call  it, 
{in  so  far  as  it  is  realhj  new,)  consists  in  the  mere  nega.- 
tion  of  these  assumptions. 

In  taking  this  ground,  he  himself  acknowledges  that  he 
runs  foul  of  all  the  con^f^ssions  of  the  churches,  and  of  all 
the  standard  writers  of  the  Christian  cliurrh  who  have 
lived  since  the  era  of  the  refot'mation.  In  order  to  de- 
fend this  step,  and  to  make  out  that  the  impiitalion  of  the 
Saviour's  righteousness  does  not  depend  at  all  on  his  rep- 
resentative character,  or  rather  on  that  federative  oneness 
which  is  itself  the  ground  of  representation;  he  attempts 
to  shew  that  the  opposite  assumption  not  only  always 
haSt  but,  necessarily,  always  must  corrupt  the  gospel. 
With  this  intention  he  shews  the  manner  in  which  the 
princiide  has  been  involved  in  various  schemes  of  doc- 
trine. 

With  the  several  scheines  of  Universalists,  Arminians, 
Hopkinsians,  &c.  &;c,  we  have  of  course  nothing  to  do; 
nor  had  Dr.  Gray  any  great  occasion  to  lug  them  into 
this  controversy.  But  as  we  have  themj,  and  as  the  Doc- 
tor seems  to  think  that  the  «<roads"  he  has  "blazed,"  as 
we  woodsmen  call  it,  lead  necessarily  to  the  conclusion 
that  imputation  and  representation  are  not  necessarily 
connected;  a  few  words  may  not  be  amiss,  merely  and 
purely  for  the  defence  of  those  older  Calvinists  whom 
<*the  fiend"  so  often  praises  and  contradicts.  We  take 
the  first  <<road." 

"1.  Eternal  salvation,  or  in  other  words,  the  right* 
eousness  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  procuring  cause  of  that  sal- 
vation, is  offered  to  ^11  mankind  by  God  himself  in  tlio 
SOS  Del. 


§60  Graifs  Theory. 

2*  Therefore  the  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ  is  mer^ 
itorioUs  of  iho  salvation  of  all  mankind,  and  is  capable  of 
being  imputed  to  every  one  of  them. 

3.  But  the  rig/iteoiisness  of  Jesus  is  meritorious^  and  im- 
putable to  meuf  bi  cause  he  is  their  representative. 

4.  i  herefore  Jesus  (>hrist  represcrter'  all  mankind^ 
and  every  one  of  them,  in  the  covenant  of  grace. 

5.  Consequently  all  tria?ikihd,  anti  every  man*  will 
eventually  be  saved."     Fiend,  page  54. 

These  consequences  are  strictly  logical,  provided  the 
third  step  he  admitted  to  be  correct.  And  Dr.  Gray, 
therefore,  unquestiotiably  does  well  to  njark  that  step  as 
being  suspicious.  But  then,  how  in  the  name  of  common 
sensn  docs  it  follow,  that  if  the  third  proposition  be  re- 
je.  ted,  ihe  assumption  that  representation  is  the  ground 
of  imputation  must  fall  to  the  ground.  That  is  the  Doc- 
tor's fallacy.  And  indeed  his  statement  of  thv  third 
proposition  is  a  fallacy  from  beginning  to  end.  For, 
whatever  Universalists  pretend,  all  who  hold  the  doctrine 
that  representation  is  the  ground  of  imputation  do  not 
therefore  hold  that  all  men  must  have  been  at  first  placed 
under  the  Saviour's  representation  in  order  that  the  right- 
eousness of  Christ  miglit  be  imputable  to  them.  On  the 
contrary,  the  main  drift  of  the  essays  whicii  Dr  Gray  is 
combating,  g^es  to  prove  that  representation  itself  may 
commence  at  any  time;  and  that  as  representation  flows 
from  federal  union  or  identification  with  the  s}stem.  it 
neither  docs  nor  can  commence  till  the  party  represented 
forms  a  constituent  porti<  n  of  the  s\  stem*  In  other  words, 
it  is  in  consequence  of  his  becoming  one  with  the  head, 
that  he  is  represented  by  the  head.  Christ  therefore  is 
capaUe  of  becoming  the  representative  of  those  whom  he 
does  not  at  the  moment  represent,  just  as  he  is  capable  of 
imputing  righteousness  to  those  to  whom  he  does  not  im- 
pute it. 

Let  us  then  "blaze"  a  new  road  in  the  same  direction 
with  the  Doctor's  first  one,  and  sec  if  it  will  not  lead  to  a 
very  different  issue,  when  we  have  freed  his  third  step 
i'rpm  the  sophism  he  has  planted  in  it. 

**!.  Eternal  salvation,  or.  in  other  words,  the  right- 
eousness of  J^sus  Christy  the  procuring  cause  of  that  sal- 


Grai/s  Tlipory.  ^(51 

vation,  is  ofF^  red  to  all  mankind  by  God  himself  in  the 
gosp<'l. 

2.  I'hcrcfore  the  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ  is  mer- 
itorious of  the  salvation  of  all  mankind,  and  is  capable  of 
being  impntrd  to  everv  one  of  them." 

3.  But  the  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ  is  capnhlc  of  be- 
ing imputed  to  men,  because    <IE   IS  CaPABLE  OF 

BECOMING  THEIR  PEPRESENTATIVE. 

4.  Therefore  Jesus  Ci  ri«t  is  capable  of  becoming^ 
the  represent ative  of  all  mankind,  and  every  one  Oi  tin  m, 
in  the  covenant  of  grace. 

5.  Consequently -^-what  now? — Why  certainly 

3N'0T  any  of  the  things  which  Dr.  Gray  wo»dd  fondl;  de- 
duce as  consequences;  hut — conseqiiently,  the  thirjg  my 
turn  out  to  be  pretty  mud)  as  we  represent  d  it  in  former 
publications:  the  scriptural  id<"a  tiiat  righteousness  is  im- 
puted in  virtue  of  our  being  <*one"  with  Christ;  the  ref- 
oimation  doctrine  that  im]»utation  is  grounded  on  n  pre- 
sentation; and  the  theological  pillar  on  which  it  is  irscri- 
Ijed,  that  the  very  same  |  rinciple  pervades  the  two  «i:.eat 
covenants;  may  all  stand  firm,  without  any  such  s  n)  t- 
structure  as  must  be  built  upon  the  ideas  that  Christ  j.ctu- 
alh  represents  all  men  in  the  coxenant,  and  that  he  neces- 
sarily must  hav»  done  so  in  order  that  he  might  he  ren- 
dered capable  of  saving  all. 

Dr.  Gray  must  have  rea '  tlie  pages  which  he  under* 
lakes  to  answer  with  very  little  attention  indeed*  or  he 
would  never  have  ventured  on  a  paragraph  like  this: 
*«Clearly  then  Mr.  M'Chord  does  assusne,  as  a  principle, 
that  the  imputability  of  Christ's  righteousness  depends  on 
his  representative  character — and  that  if  mankind  were 
not  represented  by  JesMS  Christ,  this  rigliteousness  would 
not  be  capable  of  being  imputed  to  them.*'* 

Now  it  so  happens  that  <»Mr.  M'Chord''  holds  jnst  the 
opposite  of  the  lattei  position;  and  if  Dr.  Gray  will  have 
the  goodness  to  turn  to  that  part  of  the  body  of  Christ  on 
wiiich  the  process  against  him  was  originally  founded,! 
lie  will  discover,  very  much  t^  his  astonishment  n;)  doubt, 
that  tlie  chief  aim  is  to  prove  that  Christ  is  not  tho  repre- 
sentative of  any  body  till  they  become  actually  united  te 

^Fiend,  p.  62.  jBody  of  Christ,  169—198.. 


S6g  Grafs  Them^y. 

liim;  and  that  his  ahility  to  save  all,  depends  not  at  all  oil 
the  fact  of  his  representing  all  (which  he  actually  does 
not  do;  no  not  even  the  ♦*elect,''  till  they  are  united  with 
him),  but  solely  on  the  fact  of  his  being  capable  of  receiv- 
ing them  under  his  representation. 

This  distinction  Dr.  Gray  understood  very  well  when 
writing  his  46th  page;  and  it  very  aptly  recurs  to  him  in 
Subsequent  parts  of  the  volume.  How  much  it  is  to  be 
regretted  that  it  did  not  also  recur,  when  he  was  tracing 
these  several  roads!  Had  it  done  so,  he  might  have 
stooped  to  trace  the  road  about  which  he  was  mainly  wri- 
ting, as  well  as  so  many  others  which  are  not  at  all  in 
controversy;  and  he  would  have,  at  least,  been  spared  the 
regret  which  every  ingenuous  mind  must  feel  in  review- 
ing such  mistakes. 

Let  us  now  see  how  the  correct  principle  will  straight- 
(Bn  and  shorten  the  Arminian  <*road."  It  is  the  second 
bn  which  the  fiend  undertakes  to  light  the  way. 

"I.  Eternal  life  is  offered  to  all  men  by  God,  and  they 
are  commanded  by  God  to  accept  it. 

<*2.  It  is  therefore  equally  capable  of  becoming  tlies 
property  of  all. 

Bui  the  reason  Jesus  can  impart  life  to  all  is  because  he 
is  ABLE  to  impute  to  all  the  merits  of  his  life  and  death,  or 
is  ABIE  to  unite  them  with  himself  and  so  bring  them  un- 
der his  representaiion  in  the  covenant  of  grace* 

3.  "Therefore" — thtiefore— therefore —  Dr.  Gray 
can  now  easily  supply  my  lack  of  service. 

And  will  that  gentleman  still  undertake  to  say  that  the 
idea  of  imputation  being  founded  on  representation  ne- 
cessarily leads  to  error.  Dr.  Gray  is  generally  called  the 
most  learned  man  in  the  United  States.  O  what  is  to  be- 
come of  the  reputation  of  our  country,  when  her  most 
boasted  characters  are  such  poor  logicians!  such  wretch- 
ed theologians! 

Jtis,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  a  little  astonishing  that  among 
the  various  roads  which  that  gentleman  has  chalked  out, 
there  is  not  one  word  about  the  various  ways  in  which 
various  Calvinists  attempt  to  get  over  the  difficulty.  For 
all  of  them  hold—at  least  all  of  them  did  hold,  till  the 
Doctor's  book  turned  their  systems  upside  down — tha* 
l*cpresentat!0!i  is  the  ground  of  imputation*    J^cw  wiiile 


Gray's   Theory.  263 

Dr. Gray  admits  that  this  is  the'' view  of  all  Calvinists,  and 
of  ail  their  confessions  of  faitli,  he  would  at  least  have 
been  dealing  ingenuously  it  he  had  paraded  their 
strings  of  propositions  on  this  subject  along  side  of  thos.* 
which  he  has  placed  in  such  deep  array.  But  the  Doc- 
tor had  determined  to  assert,  and  he  accordingly  did  af- 
terwards assert,  that  all  Calvinistic  doctrines  are  sound. ^ 
And  as  this  same  common  principle  ranks  in  the 
items  of  every  other  creed  as  a  doctrine — absolutely  a 
DOCTRINE,  it  required  some  skill  to  transmute  it  into 
a  mere  <*scrap  of  phih)Sophy"  when  tucked  into  the 
creed  of  a  brother  Calvinist.  While  therefore  he  admits 
it  to  be  an  assumption  common  to  Calvinists  and  all  oth- 
ers, while  he  even  treats  it  as  the  error  that  spread  havoc 
among  all  the  churches  of  the  Reformation — he  sees  meet 
to  let  us  guess  how  the  Calvinists  work  it  up.  But  w^e 
^ill  in  due  time  supply  his  lack  of  service.  We  will 
shew  how  they  attempt  to  work  ir. 

And  now  Dr.  Gray,  and  all  the  world,  may  discern  at 
a  glance  the  exact  amount  of  discovery  to  which  «th© 
fiend"  is  entitled  to  lay  claim.  His  idea  that  the  Saviour's 
ability  and  right  to  impute  righteousness  to  men  does  not 
depend  on  the  fact  of  his  having  actually  represented  them? 
professedly  constitutes  the  merit  of  his  work.  Now  it 
so  happens  that  this  idea  is  not  originally  his  own.  It 
lies  at  the  basis  of  the  theory  suggested  by  that  same 
^<young  preacher"  whom  tlieDoctor  undertakes  to  instruct 
and  castigate,  and  whom  he  hastes  to  hinder  from  corrup- 
ting all  the  churches;  and  to  prove  \t  is  in  fact  the  burden 
of  the  works  which  *«the  fiend"  attempts  to  answer.  Tho 
<«young  preacher's"  position  is,  that  while  Christ  is  capa- 
ble of  saving  all  men,  he  does  not  actually  represent  any 
of  them,  except  such  as  are  united  or  identified  with  \\\m 
by  the  bond  of  the  Spirit:  and  that  therefore  the  ground 
of  his  ability  to  save,  is  the  fact  of  his  being  able  also  to 
include  under  his  representation  all  those  who  are  at  the 
moment  aliens  from  the  body  which  he  heads,  and  so  not 
nnf^er  his  representation. 

In  what  then  does  the  Doctor  diflf^'r  from  the  author  of 
the  publications  ho  condemns?  He  diifcrs  in  this — precise- 

^Fknd  91. 


S6^  Graifs  Theonj, 

ly  in  this;  he  assumes  that  because  Cliris^^  is  able  to  save 
those  whom  he  does  not  represent,  that  therefore  salva- 
tion cannot  depend  on  representation.  Now  we  iiavc 
seen  that  this  is  a  sheer  fallacy.  The  Redeemer  may  be 
able  to  save,  precisely  on  the  ground  that  he  is  also  able 
to  brins^  men  under  his  representation.  And  ail  old  prea- 
chers do  know,  or  at  leasr  ought  to  know,  that  when  he 
tenders  salvation  to  all  men  in  the  gospel,  he  tenders  it  as 
the  fruit  of  union  with  himself  or  repr<  sentation  by  Idm- 
seif.  He  never  speaks  of  saving  tvithout  making  *^one 
ruvithhim,''^  Consequently  we  should  suppose  that  in  of- 
fering salvation  to  all  nn^n,  he  offers  to  make  them  one 
with  him,  i.e.  offers  to  place  them  under  his  representation. 

We  are  glad  to  htar  t!)e  Doctor  say,  in  the  conclusion 
of  his  account  of  our  joint  discovery,  "The  provis- 
sions  of  the  covenant  of  grace  have  nothing  to  do  with  this 
subject.  To  whom  God  will  eventually  bestow  this  right- 
eousness— how  many  he  will  give  to  his  Son,  as  the 
travail  of  liis  sou),  are  questions  for  them  to  settle  among 
themselves."-^  Now  these  are  precisely  our  own  ideas 
up  n  the  subject.  They  are  the  very  truths  for  utter- 
ing which  we  have  been  prosecuted.  And  it  really  seems 
strange  that  when  Dr.  Gray  can  admit,  and  even  assert, 
them  so  very  plainly,  he  should  have  been  at  the  pains  to 
\vrite  a  whole  book  to  prove  exactly  the  contrary.  O  it 
%vas  a  glorious  maxim  with  which  the  mother  of  Cce- 
iebs  furnished  him  before  he  went  forth  on  the  perilous 
adventure  of  lumting  himself  a  wife:  *Do  not  expect  per- 
fection; but  do  not  put  up  with  any  thing  short  uf  consis- 
tency.' 

We  have  seen  how  far  the  Doctor's  theory  is  neiv.  Let 
us  now  see  how  far  it  is  valuable.  It  asserts  that  there  is 
a  possibility  of  mens'  being  saved  without  at  the  same 
time  being  represented  by  the  Saviour.  In  that  it  is  not 
valuable.  For  wheresoever  the  scriptures  predicate  sal- 
vation, the)?  predicate  representation  too. 

It  asserts  that  while  men  become  sinners  because  they 
are  included  under  the  representation  of  t!)e  first  Adam, 
thev  do  7zo^  become  rigiiteous  6eca?tse  they  are  included 
ynder  the  representation  of  the  second  Adam,     In  this  it 

^  Fiend,  (^^. 


Gray^s  Theory,  265 

1s:not  valuable.  For  the  scriptures  themselves,  as  well 
as  all  the  confessions  and  Calvinistic  fathers,  teach  that 
the  two  covenants  proceed  on  one  and  th*)  same  princi. 
pie. 

It  asserts  that  the  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ  is  meri- 
^)rious  of  salvation,  hetause  <*it  is  the  glorious  nature  of 
Mghteousness  to  he  meritorious,  according  to  the  natnr© 
of  the  law."  In  this  also  it  is  not  valuable.  Because  it  is 
as  much  the  »<glorious  nature"  of  sin  to  he  meritorious 
of  death,  as  of  righteousness  to  bo  meritorious  of  life; 
whereas  neither  the  one  or  the  other  can  be  meritorious, 
of  any  thing,  to  any  person,  unless  in  virtue  of  some  re- 
lation in  which  the  latter  stands  to  the  person  of  whom  the 
righteousness  or  sinfulness  is  predicated.  The  nature  of 
righteousness  may  tlierefore  adapt  it  to  become  the  subject 
of  imputation;  but  it  can  never  become  itself  the  f(»r:)<al 
ground  of  imputation.  Now  while  Dr.  Gray  admits  a 
fbrmal  ground  of  imputation  in  tlif  first  covenant,  ond 
denies  the  same  ground  in  relation  to  the  sec<jnd  covf  rirint; 
and  asserts  tliat  there  actually  is  no  ground  but  the  ua- 
ture  of  the  thing;  he  certainly  cannot  be  abetting  a  wvy 
valuable  theory.  The  nature  in  question  h- longs  as  real- 
ly to  sin  as  to  righteousness;  and  y^t  affords  no  ground 
for  the  imputation  of  sin:  that  is  imputed  because  of  rep- 
resentation. But  righteousness,  it  seems,  is  imputed 
without  any  cause.  This  is  one  difficulty  in  tlie  way  of 
the  Doctor's  discovery.  And  here  is  another!  If  it  be  tho 
nature  of  righteousness  to  be  imputed^  merely  because  it 
fs  rigliteousness;  what  points  the  imputation  to  one  mart 
rather  than  to  another?  How  happens  it  that  this  right- 
eousness is  not  every  man's;  if  it  be  its  nature  to  become 
theirs  without  their  being  placed  under  the  representation 
of  the  Saviour? 

It  might  not  be  amiss  for  the  Doctor  to  review  this  mat- 
ter. He  will  sec  that  iiis  main  idea,  hjs  reall)'  valuable 
idea, is  not  new.  He  will  sec  that  the  whole  argument  of 
the  works  he  has  professed  to  review  goes  to  prove  that 
the  ability  to  save  does  not  depend  on  tlie  fact  of  having 
represented.  And  he  ma\  also  furtlier  see,  and  all  the 
"World  may  see,  tbat  this  idea  nevrr  could  have  been  «the 
result  of  his  own  researches,  bemuse  lie  does  not  know 
what  to  do  with  it.     >yhen  p  •    together  with  other  mate- 

O  o 


M^  Grafs  TkeofY 

rials"— with  tliosc  materials  into  which  Dr.  G.  has  Work- . 
C(l  it— <<the  whole  resembles  nothing  so  much  as  a  mod- 
ern Mahomedan  structure  in  Greece,  where  a  fine  piece  of 
antique  sculpture  is  found  in  the  wall  turned  upside  down^ 
and  a  Corinthian  pillar  is  found  supporting  a  wretched 
hovel."* 


•Fiend  p.  92.  This  is  a  sample  of  Dr.  Gray's  decorous 
manner  of  throwing  out  personalities  on  every  suitable  oc- 
casion. The  writer  does  not  recollect  that  his  own  talents 
or  attainments  were  made  the  subject  of  so  much  as  a  single 
section  in  any  of  the  productions  which  "the  fiend"  under- 
takes to  scrutinize.  Wherefore  Dr.  G.  thought  himself  call 
ed  upon  to  touch  that  question  so  often  he  best  can  tell.  "I 
guess/'  however,  as  the  Yankees  say,  that  some  of  the  Dr's. 
friends  must  have  felt  a  litil-  sore  on  that  point;  and  that  he, 
like  a  good  Samaritan,  volunteered  to  bind  up  their  wounds, 
and  to  pour  in  oil  and  wine.  But  the  Dr  is  nevertheless  suf- 
ficiently liberal  in  his  allowances.  He  admits  "very  willing- 
ly,"  that  the  writer  has  "talents  which,  if  rightly  used,  are 
well  calculated  t'>  render  him  a  very  useful  man  |C/^  ii^  the 

lATITUDE  AND  LONGITUDE,  IN  THE  SOIL  AND   CLIMATE'*   of 

Lexington.  *'Only  ti;njk  of  that,  Master  Brooksl"  The 
writer  could  tell  Dr.  Gray  that  there  are  more  than  himself 
from  "our  good  City  of  Philadelphia,"  and  the  parts  adja- 
cent, who  appear  pei  tectly  to  understand  that  a  very  small 
matter  may  be  made  to  ''go  a  great  way*'  "in  the  latitude  and 
longitud  "  of  this  same  Lexington;  and  who  therefore  do 
contrive  to  make  a  very  little  go  a  very  great  way.  It  was 
but  d  little  while  ago  that  a  liule  man  from  his  quarter  came 
here  highly  reconmiended  by  people  who  must  have  knowa 
a  great  Setil,  (or  they  could  not  have  said  so  much,)  and  prof- 
fered to  teach  us  all  to  sputter  Hebrew  in  the  siiort  space  of 
thirty  days;  and  that  too  by  the  help  of  one  lesson  per  day; 
and  diat  i-'sson  too  of  no  more  than  one  hour's  continuance. 
A  whole  language  t^iught  in  thirty  lessons!  "Think  of  thatl" 
Thirty  lessons  of  an  hour  each!  Thirty  lessons  in  thirty  hours! 
Thirty  hours,  'by  the  stop  watch!"  "Only  think  of  that!" 
And  we,  good  easy  souls!  were  perfectly  a  tipioe  in  admira- 
tion of  thf.  mai!  And  we  believed  that  people  trom  Dr.  Gray's 
<'longiaide  and  latitude"  can  do  any  thing,  if  they  say  they 
^an.  \u  we  gave  him  our  money.  And  he  cartied  it  and 
all  t  Hebrew  baclj  again,  quite  a\?ay  from  our  "soil  and 
climate!" 


Graifs  Theorij.  g6? 

Dr.  Gray  again  takes  up  the  subject  of  the  Saviour's 
rigliteoiisness  in  his  12th  section, =*  wliere  he  professes  to 
give  «'the  reason  why  eternal  life  is  offered  to  all  men  in 
the  g(fspel."  His  account  of  the  matter  is  this:  "God  re- 
quires tiie  righteousness  of  the  law;  hut  the  gospel  re- 
Te-dls  the  righteousness  of  Christ  as  the  righteousness 
of  the  law;  of  consequence  God  requires  men  to  pre- 
sent to  him  the  righteousness  of  Christ  Christ's 
righteousness  is  the  righteou  ness  of  the  law:  But  » iod 
fequires  the  righteousness  of  the  law;  therefore  God 
requires  the  righteousness  of  Christ  of  every  man 
wh  *  hears  the  gospel  sound.  Can  any  thing  be  pluin- 
er?"f  Indeed  it  is  hard  to  say.  The  inventor  of  this 
"plain"  demonstration,  calls  tlie  system  which  he  op- 
poses  **A    METAPHOR,   METAMORPHOSED  INTO    A  META- 

PHysic.'*:(:  That,  it  is  presumable,  he  must  have  fi  st 
made  out  very  plainly.  But  here  we  have  a  mere  **meta- 
PHYSIC,"  without  even  tlie  substratum  of  a  "metaplior" 
to  sustain  and  strengthen  it.  <*Gan  anything  be  plainer?" 

This  is  certainly  a  subject  that  does  not  very  well  com- 
port with  even  the  semblance  of  levity.  But  it  is  really 
an  amusing  as  well  as  "a  tearful  jest,"  as  the  Doctor  ex- 
presses it  once  and  again,  to  witness  such  a  perversion  of 
logic  and  metaphysics,  by  a  man  of  Dr.  Gray's  character 
and  standing;  on  a  subject  of  such  vast  importance; 
and  in  the  very  attempt  to  correct  the  reasonings  of  other 
people. 

It  is  building  up  a  system  without  the  aid  of  the  princi- 
ple of  representation  with  a  witness.  Let  us  see  how  it 
will  work  in  some  other  cases.-<-The  angids  of  God  were 
at  their  creation  subjected  to  an  appropriate  law.  Some 
of  them  stood  firtii;  others  of  them  ^*kept  not  their  first 
estate."  Now  the  righteousness  of  those  who  stood  was 
<«the  righteousness  of  the  law" — of  that  very  law  to  wiiich 
angels  were  subjected.  What  was  demanded  then  of  tliosc 
who  fell?  Why  "righteousness;"  «*tlic  righteousness  of 
the  law."  But  the  obedience  of  t!n)se  who  stood  was  the 
righteousness  of  the  law;  and  **it  is  tlie  glorious  nature 
of  righteousness  to  be  meritorious  according  to  tiie  nature 
of  the  law."§  Now  where  would  this  land  Dr.  Gray? 
Evidently  in  the  conclusion  that  the  angels  who  fell  might 


^68  ^rafs  Ttieo1% 

have  bc'^f!  justified  b\  th  rij^liteousness  of  tliose  \vh9 
st'wu  iir  ; .  •<Can  any  thing  be  plainer?"  Yti  that  Gen- 
tleman will  iigrec  witli  his  hiuii()le  opponent  in  nyecting 
this  conclusion,  though  clearly  deducibU  from  his  «.\vn 
principle,  according  to  his  manner  of  chopping  logic. 
But  why  now  couiti  not  the  riichteousnesa  of  one  ingel  he 
imputed  to  anotlier;  as  well  as  Adam's  rigliteousness  to  his 
posterity?  It  isrhai- iud  ed  that  an  atonement  was  requi- 
site, such  as  no  a  .e:el  could  make.  But  that  is  not  half 
th  truth.  It  is  also  clear  that  there  was  no  federative 
connexion  between  those  who  stood  and  those  wh«i  fell. 
There  was  no  substitution  of  the  one  in  the  room  of  the 
other. 

But  indeed  Dr.  Gray's  "plain"  account  of  this  matter, 
is  very  much  like  Dr.  Marsh's  clear  case  in  relation  to 
the  Bible  Society;  it  is  so  plain  that  it  is  very  difficult  to 
write  anything  about  it.  It  is  plain  that  of  two  men 
who  are  condemned  for  the  same  murder,  the  death  of  the 
one,  thougli  in  paying  the  penalty  he  thereby  fulfills  *»the 
righteousness  of  the  law,"  does  not  furnish  any  righteous- 
ness which  the  other  culprit  may  plead  in  answer  to  the 
demand  upon  his  own  life.  It  is  not  at  all  "the  glorious 
nature  of  such  righteousness  to  be  meritorious." 

It  is  also  plain  that  if  Dr.  Gray  will  plead  "the  nature 
of  the  law"  to  which  man  was  subject  under  the  first  cov- 
enant; and  tell  us  that  this  law  involves  in  it  the  princi- 
ple of  representation:  then  he  must  desert  his  favorite 
position  that  the  imputability  of  righteousness  does?io^  de- 
pend in  any  degree  on  the  fact  of  r?presentation.  Be- 
cause the  principle  of  representation  is  of  the  very  es- 
sence of  that  law. 

Finally,  it  is  plain  that  if  Adam's  sin  "brought  death  in- 
to the  world,"  because  he  \^as  the  representative  of  men, 
and  7ioi  because  it  is  the  nature  of  sin  to  be  meritorious 
of  punishment;  and  if  Jesus  Christ  brought  life  into  the 
world,  because  it  is  the  nature  of  righteousness  to  be  mer- 
itr^rious.  and  not  hrcMuse  he  is  the  representative  of  those 
whom  he  saves:  then  is  "the  nature  of  the  law"  entirely 
changed,  and  Jesus  Christ  is  very  improperly  called  "the 
^Sccwnd  man/' 

But  indeed  the  «*plainness"  of  Dr.  Gray's  statement 
^m§  to  be  pretty  much  iu  the  predicament  ojT  "Mr 


'Gray's  Them%  igO^ 

M<C's.  axiom,"  that  federal  union  and  federal  representa- 
tion are  correlates,  and  nccessurily  in^eperable:  <»it  -^eeins 
to  be  a  ••plainness'*  intended  lor  ihc  sole  i:3c  of  the  inven- 

tOJ'."'* 

To  us  nothing;  appears  more  absurd,  nothing  more  hor- 
rifying tlian  the  idea  that  the  imputation  of  the  Savi  ^:r's 
rigiiteousness  does  not  depend  on  iiis  substitution  in  riie 
room  of  his  people.  For  we  see  vei-y  '^jdainly''  that  a  sub- 
stitute and  a  representative  are  so  far  the  same  thing,  that 
lie  who  is  a  representative  is  slso  a  substitute;  and  that 
lie  who  saves  or  cun  save  without  represv^ntation,  alsr> 
saves  or  can  save  without  substitution.  Ibis  idea  of  Dr. 
Gray's,  then,  orthodox  as  it  may  be,  is  not  a  very  inviting 
sample  of  the<*cool  and  rautious  manner  in  which  Divine 
truth  ought  to  be  investigated."!  Wc  believe  "i  .-i- 
rection"  is  much  more  plainly  "towards  Sucinianisnt^" 
than  any  thing  lie  has  pointed  out,  or  will  ever  be  able  to 
point  out,  in  the  system  which  he  condemns. 

It  is  in  vain  ^o  reply  to  all  these  reasonings,  tl^at  the 
Saviour  was  a  being  of  an  extraordinary  description: 
that  he  owed  no  obedience  to  the  law  on  his  own  own  ac- 
count: and  other  things  of  the  same  kind. 

It  is  a  matter  of  fact  tiiat  he  was  "made  under  the  lav.  ,*' 
and  so  did  owe  it  obedience.  The  inducement  to  subject 
himself  to  this  debt  is  qui'.e  another  matter.  It  is  also  a 
matter  of  fact  that  he  inherits  life  in  pursuance  of  the  a- 
wardof  that  law,  in  common  with  his  people;  they  are  aH 
joint  heirs  together.  And  it  is  also  plain  that  the  pecu^ 
liar  constitution  of  his  person  could  not  effect  any  change 
in  relation  to  the  applicability  of  his  righteousness.  A- 
dam's  righteousness,  had  he  stood,  would  have  been 
just  as  applicable  as  the  Saviour's.  His  divinity  enabled 
Jiim  to  sustain  the  penalty  and  to  work  out  the  rigliteous- 
ness,  under  circumstances  in  which  he  alone  could  doit. 
But  as  to  the  righteousness  itself,  it  was  precisely  of  the 
kind  demanded  by  the  law  of  human  nature;  otherwise  it 
could  not  have  been  imputable  to  human  persons.  It  must 
therefore  possess  the  very  attributes  which  the  rigliteous- 
Jiess  of  a  human  being  ought  to  possess;  and  the  princijdc 
of  its  application  must  consequently  be  the  same. 

JBut  what  does  Dr.  Gray  mean  by  riglit'ousncss?   And 


§70  Qray^s  Theory, 

what  do  theologians  mean  when  they  talk  of  a  righteoutf- 
ness  of  the  Redeemer's  which  he  does  not  hims-^lf  need? 
If  this  matter  be  sifted,  it  will  be  found  to  be  indeed  «a 
metaphysic."  Men  who  talk  in  this  style  seem  to  conceive 
of  righteousness  as  a  kind  of  positive  l>eing;  a  something 
that  is  laid  down  for  them  to  take  up,  and  is  transferable 
from  hand  to  hand,  like  a  bundle  or  bale  of  goods.  If 
righteousness  be  the  standing  of  an  accountable  being  in 
the  eye  of  the  law,  it  is  nonsense  to  talk  of  its  transfer;  op 
of  its  being  here,  or  there,  for  any  person  to  take  up.  It 
is  the  character  of  the  party,  the  standing  of  the  party, 
whose  righteousness  it  originally  wa^;  and  there  is  man* 
ifestly,  therefore,  no  way  in  which  another  being  can  be 
vested  wiih  it,  or  profited  by  it,  but  by  becoming  so  iden- 
tifit'd  with  the  former  as  to  be  regarded  as  one  with  him^ 
Now  that  is  exactly  the  meaning  of  representation.  The 
law  imputes  to  one  being  the  righteousness  of  another, 
not  by  abstracting  any  thing  from  the  latter  and  putting 
it  on  the  former;  but  by  attributiug  to  both  of  them  the 
same  thing,  in  consequence  of  identifying  them  together. 
Now  what  is  the  ground  of  this  identification?  what  is  it 
that  makes  the  righteousness  of  Christ  the  righteousness 
of  another,  if  it  be  not  the  fact  of  his  standing  in  the  room 
of  that  other?  But  is  not  that  to  represent  him?  And 
what  is  it  that  is  to  make  that  righteousness  the  proper- 
ty of  all  men,  or  of  any  man,  which  the  Dr.  sa>-s  is  there 
for  them — is  demanded  of  them — if  it  be  not  their  falling 
r/nder  the  Saviour's  representation?  And  in  what  sense  is 
it  possible  that  it  could  become  their  righteousness, 
more  truly  than  it  now  is  theirs,  if  the  imputation  of  it  has 
nothing  to  do  with  representation?  Finally,  how  does  it 
comet«?  pass,  and  in  what  sense  is  it,  that  this  righteous- 
ness is  imputed  to  some,  and  not  to  all,  if  the  imputation 
is  n'>t  grounded  on  representation? 

"Christ's  righteousness  is  the  righteousness  of  the  law: 
but  God  requires  the  righteousness  of  the  law;  therefore 
God  requires  the  righteousness  of  Christ  of  every  man 
who  hears  the  gospel  sound."  And  therefore  it  is  impu- 
^table  to  th»  m.  i.  e.  may  he  imputed  to  them,  without  any 
reference  to  a  bond  or  principle  of  any  kind  whatever 
in  virtue  of  vvliich  they  are  rendered  one  with  the  Saviour! 
It  may  be  imputed  because  <«ri§hteousness  is  righteous- 


Gray's  Theory,  ^1 

ness,'*  without  any   sort  of  ground  for  tlie  imputaiioil.- 
And  this  is  Dr.  Gray's  '^unassailable  demonstration"! 

Reader!  "I  cannot  tell  what  you  or  other  men"  think 
of  this  "demonstration."  «But  for  my  single  self,"  I 
have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  a  more  <»lank,''  corrupt, 
and  absolutely  stupid  sophism,  is  no  where  to  be  found: 
no  not  even  among  the  revei  ies  of  Shakerism.  Yet  I  maij 
be  mistaken.  Dr.  Gray  insists  upon  it  that  it  is  excellent 
logic:  "can  any  thing  be.  plainer?"  (Q*  "and  Brutus  is 
an  honourable  man." 

Wlio  could  have  expected  to  meet,  at  the  conclusion  of' 
such  a  "demonstration,"  with  such  a  sentiment  as  tliis; 
*^of  consequence  the  imputability  of  Christ's  righteous- 
ness  springs  entirely  fiom  the  nature  of  the  covenant  of 
works."*  Now  it  was  "the  nature  of  the  covenant  of 
works"  to  impute  either  sin  or  righteousness,  on  the- 
ground  that  the  party  to  whom  it  was  to  be  imputed  was 
represented  by  the  other  party  whose  sin  or  righteous- 
ness it  originally  was.  And  surely  if  the  imputability  of 
Christ's  righteousness  springs  fi'om  the  nature  of  that 
first  covenant,  it  must  be  imputed  on  the  same  ground. 
That  is  to  say,  tbis  "remedial  law"  does  not  differ  in  its 
nature  from  the  "original  institute."  It  merely  provides 
for  the  substitution  oi  Christ's  righteousness  in  the  place 
of  Adam's  righteousness  Tliere  is  then  no  change  at  all 
of  the  constitution  under  which  it  is  imputed.  Adam's 
righteousness  was  to  have  been  imputed  on  the  ground  of 
liis  being  the  representative  or  federative  head  of  all  them 
to  whom  it  was  to  be  so  imputed.  Christ's  righteousness 
is  just  substituted  in  the  room  of  Adam's:  tliat  is  to  say, 
lie  is  himself  substituted  as  a  new  man,  another  federative 
liead:  and  so  the  imputation  must  take  place  on  the  very 
same  principle,  i.  e.  according  to  "the  nature  of  the  cove- 
nant of  works."  Which  ndture  provided  for  imputation 
sol«  ly  on  the  ground  of  !*epr(  seiitation.  And  so  Dr.  Gray 
completely  cuts  up  his  o  vs!  p;  inciple  in  the  very  atten.pt 
to  demonstrate  it.  "I  call  this  demonstration  unassaila- 
ble!" 


:^>g  The  Contra&t 

SECTION  V. 

The  Contrast, 

It  would  have  been  very  well  if  "the  fiend  of  the  refor- 
mation" had  indulged  in  this  vacciilating  course  only  in 
the  statement  of  its  own  positions.  But  it  is  a  subject  of 
legilimate  complaint,  that  Dr.  Gray  should  have  so  fre- 
quently substituted  some  foolish  and  stupid  idea  in  the 
room  of  the  principles  actually  maintained  by  the  writer; 
iind  then,  after  creating  aifd  setting  up  such  spectres  foul, 
should  triumphantly  pit  his  own  "spectre  feiP'  against 
them.     Hear  that  genth^man!  Only  hear  him! 

"It  was  with  some  difficulty  I  could  comprehend  what 
Mr.M*C.  could  mean  by  saying  individuals  were  not  inclu- 
ded in  either  of  the  covenants — that  men  were  not  individ- 
ually included;  and  by  calling  such  a  conception  the  indi- 
vidualizing scheme.^*  "But  on  comparing  several  passa- 
ges together"  Dr.  Gray  found,  or  supposes  he  found, 
^mple  ground  to  push  home  the  following  triumphant 
challenge;  "Let  Mr.  M'C.  name  the  man  «vho  admited 
the  imputation  of  Adam's  guilt,  and  who  charged  mankind 
with  less  than  the  whole  of  that  guilt!  What  preacher 
ever  told  his  hearers,  that  when  the  guilt  of  Adam's  sin 
is  divided  by  the  whole  numb(  r  of  his  descendants,  the 
quotient  resulting  is  the  guilt  which  each  man  must  an- 
swer for!  What  preacher  ever  offered  the  righteousness 
of  Jesus  to  a  sinner,  as  the  ground  of  his  hop'^,  and  did 
not  offer  the  entire  righteousness"  &c.  &c.^  "So  entirely 
is  this  system  of  individualization  a  creature  of  Mr^ 
M'C's.  own  brain,  that  I  do  not  recollect  ever  to  have 
heard  of  it,  or  to  have  read  of  any  thing  like  it."f  And 
then  the  Doctor  goes  onto  state  a  profession  of  his  faith: 
a  very  good  profession:  and  very  ne?i.ily  put  together. 
Though  the  last  article,  by  the  way,  professes  that  there 
is  no  connexion  between  Adam  and  his  seed,  excepting 
such  as  is  formed  by  the  divine  decree  determining  tiiat 
sucli  a  connexion  sho^dd  afterwards  take  place.  And  if 
old  John  Caivin's  maxlin^,  that  the  decrees  of  God  effect 


Tlie  6ontra&t.  ^y^ 

notliing  in  point  of  logal  standini^,  be  admitted  to  be  Cal*- 
vinistic,  it  would  seem  thence  to  follow  that  no  one 
is  connected  with  Aduiri,  i.  f .  stands  in  any  relation  to  liim, 
i.  e.  is  represented  by  him,  till  such  time  as  he  is  actually 
brought  into  existence.  How  this  p'ofession  of  the 
Doctor's  faith  is  to  be  reconciled  wit!)  his  attempt  to 
prove  the  very  reverse  in  other  parts  of  his  txjok,  vvc  prc^. 
sume  not  to  inquire.     But  all  ;his  by  the  way* 

After  making  the  aforesaid  profession,  <*the  fiend"  in- 
quires "what  is  there  in  all  tliis  about  dividing  Adam's 
guilt  into  shreds  according  to  the  number  of  his  posteri- 
ty?'* And  then,  after  sundry  observations  on  the  *<scnse 
or  argument"  contained  in  this  idea,  he  goes  on  to  state 
the  question  in  mathematical  form. 

Adams  sin         Death 

V»As  Adams  sin:  Death:.*        : " 

1,000,000.      1,000,000, 

The  wit  which  our  castigator  flings  over  scver.tl  pa- 
ges employed  in  this  exposure  of  the  writer's  follies,  and 
the  various  inuendoes  with  wfiich  he  so  liberally  besprin- 
kles them,  had  better  have  been  reserved  f)r  a  more  fit 
occasion.  For  there  is  not  one  word  true  of  all 
that  Dr.  Gray  has  said  about  the  writer's  imputing  to  him 
and  hispartizans  the  idea  of  •^dividing  Adam's  g(iilt  into 
shreds  according  to  the  number  of  his  posti'rity."  Ho 
never  said — he  never  thought — that  they  hel/1  any  such 
absurdity.  On  the  contrary  he  kn.  vv  and  asserted  that 
they  had  correct  views  on  that  subject;  and  from  tliose 
correct  views  in  relation  to  the  imputation  of  sin  under 
the  first  covenant,  he  drew  his  argument  in  belialf  of  tho 
same  mode  of  imputation  under  the  othei  Covtnant.  To 
the  proof! 

*<You  admit  thai  Adam's  guilt  is  not  parcelled  out  among 
Ills  descendants:  but  that  to  every  individual  his  whole 
crime  is  imputed,  and  upon  every  soul  of  man  the  curse 
descends,  undivided  and  unimpaired,  as  really  and  as  ful- 
ly as  if  he  alone  existed  as  an  heir  of  Adam.  You  will 
agree  also,  that  had  our  first  fatjjer  stood,  the  merits  of 
Lis  obedience  could  not  have  been  divided.  Perfect  rigiit- 
cousness,  that  is,  perfect  obedience,  must  liav<^  b^en  impu- 
ted to  every  one;  and  his  obedience,  at  best,  rouU\  be  no 
more  than  perfect,.     Conscq-    r:tly,  the  whole  of  the  mcr- 


§J7^  Tlie  Contrast. 

it,  and  the  whole  of  the  demerit,  as  the  case  may  be,  de-. 
scends  undivided  to  every  soul  of  man^and  the  very  same 
deed  that  involves  the  fate  of  one,  involves  the  fate  of  eve- 
ry other  one.  Mark  now,  I  pray  you,  the  fruit  of 
THESE  CONCESSIONS,"  &c.  And  then  the  writer  goes  on 
to  argwe  from  these  principles  which  they  concede — from 
these  principles  wliich  are  their  own  as  well  as  his — to  a 
similar  interpretation  of  the  covenant  of  grace.  Plea,  p. 
p.  45,  46 

Now  when  "Mr.  M'C."  thus  tells  his  opponents  that 
they  do  not  **divide  Adam's  guilt  into  shreds;"  and 
thereffjre  ought  not  to  divide  the  Saviour's  righteousness 
into  shreds:  with  what  face  could  Dr.  Gray  venture  on 
"writing  these  same  pa.a:es  of  matchless  wit  and  inuendo, 
founded  upon  the  assumption  that  the  writer  had  stated 
exactly  the  reverse  of  what  he  did  state?  With  what  face 
could  Or.  Gray  venture  to  assert  that  Mr.  M<C.  «so 
frequently  looked  his  brethren  in  the  face,  and  called  this 
YOUR  individualizing  scheme?"  Dr.  Gray  was  no  doubt 
honest  in  penning  his  statement;  as  he  was  witty  and  pun- 
gent in  putting  down  his  opponent's.  But  he  was  cer- 
tainly not  very  fortunate  <«in  comparing  several  passages 
together."*  For  it  would  seem  that  it  was  by  <<cat-lug- 
^ging"  sundry  passages,  that  be  arrived  at  length,  as  he 
says,  witii  an  infinity  of  trouble,  at  the  discovery  of  the 
writer's  drift.  Now  this  research  and  comparison  must 
have  bewildered  him  terribly;  for  the  conclusion  which 
he  drew  at  t  e  end  of  the  comparison  was  exactxy  'Op- 
posite the  truth.  Had  the  single  passage  above  quoted 
been  •*cat-lugged,"  it  would  have  been  the  means  of  pre- 
venting all  tills  confusion  and  misrepresentation. 

Now  as  to  the  other  part  of  the  writer's  statement  in  re- 
lation to  the  views  of  those  <*brethren"  whom  he  "looked 
in  tlie  fare,"  he  is  able  to  shew  that  he  was  perfectly  cor- 
rect. The  members  of  Synod  did  profess  to  hold  that 
very  course  which  Dr.  Gray  calls  "a  lank  sophism"  in 
page  53.  Not  only  they,  but  multitudes — multitudes  of 
others  "in  the  Associate- Rt- formed  Church,  and  in  the 
ynited  States,  and  in  the  world,"  did  hold  and  do  I  old 
^(savinir  that  the  Doctor's  book  may  have  instructed  some 
(Jf  them)  "that  when  Christ's  righteousness"  (in  so  far 

^Fiend  82; 


Tlie  Contrast.  S75- 

at  least  as  the  atonement,  a  very  important  part  of  that 
righteousness,  is  concerned,)  *'is  divided  bj  the  number 
of  the  elect,  the  quotient  res^ulting  is  the  righteousness  to 
whic'ii  the  believer  must  trust  his  soul."* 

LiH  Dr.  Gray  peruse  in  their  connexion  the  following 
extracts  from  <*the  Christian's  Magazine,"  a  work,  as  he 
well  knows,  edited  by  the  Kev.  Drs.  J.  M.  Mason  and  J. 
B.  Romeyn  of  New- York. 

«'rhe  atonement  is  of  the  same  extent  with  the  nature^ 
number  an.''  MAGNiTniDE  of  the  sins  of  all  thos'-  persons 
who  are  elected  to  everlasting  life."     Vol.  lii.  37*. 

"The  covenant  of  grace  provides  atonement  for  tho 
sins  of  tiie  elect,  and  conjlnes  it  to  them."     Ibid  377. 

«'Tlie  nature  of  the  atonement  renders  it  necessary  to 
consider  it  as  of  equal  extent  with  t!ie  election  of  grace.'** 
Ibid  376. 

"Independently  of  the  eternal  covenant  th.e  sufferings 
of  Jesus  Christ  could  not  have  been;  and  if  they  had  been, 
they  could  prove  of  no  benefit  to  man;  they  could  make 
no  atonement  for  any  sin  whatever."  /(/.  378.  ^ow 
though  this  latter  sentiment  be  correct,  yet  when  you  con- 
nect it  with  the  foregoing  assertions  of  a  limited  atone- 
ment, and  witli  this  account  of  the  covenant  of  grace:  "fnit 
the  Father  promises  to  his  Son  the  salvation  of  the  elect, 
wpon  condition  that  he,  as  their  public  head,  shall  bear 
theii*  iniquities  and  make  his  soul  an  oftering  for  sin.'* 
Id,  377:  it  would  seom  that  an  atonement  which  is  grad- 
uated in  its  "extent^'  by  *'tho  magnitude  of  the  sins"  of 
the  elect,  must  be  <»cut  u\'  into  shreds;"  a  part  of  it  being 
imputed  to  one  person  and  a  part  to  another;  a  larger 
portion  being  set  off  against  a  sin  of  greater  "magni- 
tude," and  more  items  of  suffering  against  a  greater 
<*nnmber"  of-sins. 

Dr.  Gray  may  also  meet  in  Vol  iv.  p.  397,  with  an  at- 
tempt to  explain  away  Calvin's  assertion  of  the  univer- 
sal sufficiency  of  tiie  atonement. 

We  have  only  room  for  a  short  extract  from  another 
oxc»'Hent  work,  which  is  unhappily  disfigured  by  the 
adoption  of  the  same  erroneous  assumj)tion.  The  work 
is  entitled  "Gethsemane,"  and  has,  very  recently,  been 
publicly  and  warmly  recommended  by  the  Rev.  Dis, 
Broadhcad  and  Ely,  of  Philadelpliia. 

^Fiend  Si, 


2^Q  TJie  Contrast. 

**l  am  convinced  that  the  sufferings  of  Christ  Were ii?* 
exact  proportion  to  the  i:  iilt  of  th(^  many  sinness  Ii**  had 
und  rtaken  to  redeem;  and  tliat  had  the  unworthy  objects 
of  'ii^  merciful  regard  b«  en  m!»re  numeroUvS,  tliosc  suffer- 
ings would  have  heen  likewise  augmented."     P»  28. 

*•  i  o  say  that  had  our  blessed  Lord  redeemed  every  in- 
dividual of  the  human  race,  he  would  not  have  suffered 
more  than  he  actually  did  suffer;  is  in  effect  saying  thnt 
there  is  as  much  moral  evil  in  a  few  transgressions  as  in 
many."   Id. 

These  are  not  incidental  or  casual  remarks  of  the  wri- 
ter, which  may  be  supposed  to  have  been  carelessly  thrown 
out,  and  perhaps  stand  corrected  in  other  portions  of  the 
volume.  The  volume  was  principally  written  to  make 
good  this  very  sentiment;  and  the  auiior  quotes  sr.ulti- 
tudes  of  tlie  most  famous  early  Calvinists  to  prove  that 
it  always  has  been  accounted  the  orthodox  belief. 

It  is  now  too  late  to  ask  whether  anv  man  '*in  the  As- 
sociate-Reformed Church,  or  in  the  United  States,  or  in 
the  world,*'  holds  such  '^individualizing"  notions;  and  it  is 
needless  to  inquire  whether  Mr.  M.  might  not  v*^  ry  prop- 
erly "look  his  brethren  in  the  face"  and  prove  to  them^ 
as  being  a  point  on  which  they  needed  demonstration, 
that  the  righteousness  of  Christ  is  not  cut  up  into  shreds; 
but  that  the  whole  of  it  comes  down  on  every  saved  soul. 

These  quotations  might  be  multiplied  an  hundred  fold. 
But  we  are  already  on  our  last  sheet,  and  have  hardly 
room  even  to  ask  Dr.  Gray  how  he  can  "l':ok'^  any  body 
*«in  tlie  face"  and  represent  himself  as  speaking  the  com- 
mon language  of  Calvinists  when  he  asserts  the  univer- 
sal sufficiency  and  applicability  of  the  atonement?  and 
how  he  could  muster  hardihood  to  accuse  the  writer  of 
misrepresenting  those  who  hold  the  individualizing 
scheme?* 


*[t  is  not  to  be  hoped  that  the  Doctor  will    deign    to    ai% 
svve^  either  of  these  questions. 

"Since  these  doctrines  must  be  mine,  I  i^ive  the  world  fair 
Notice  that  whatever  strictures  may  be  made  upon  them,  by 
either  tongue  or  pen,  I  shall  preserve  not  a  sullen  cynical 
silence,  but  a  meek  and  resigned  Christian  silence."  Fitnd 
iS3. 

»  If  reasons  were  as  plenty  as  blackberrieSj  1  would  give  no 
iipn  a  reason  upon  compulsion.*' 


The  Contrast^  ^^ 

And  here  we  terminate  tl»e  first  part  of  our  "contrast.'^ 
I)r.  James  Gray,  frequently  and  grossly  misr'  i>resont9 
the  writer:  and  also  arcuses  him  of  misrepresenting  oth- 
ers: James  M*Choiid  iuis-statcs  nothing,  and  misrepre- 
sents  nobooy  He  can  prove,  and  has  proved  all  that  he 
Lad  citlier  asserted  or  assumed.-* 

But  there  is  anotlier  point  of  view  in  which  *<the  vani* 
ty  of  youth''!  prompts  us  to  draw  a  contrast.  Dr.  Gray 
is  not  only  v»'ry  solicitous  to  he  considered  as  the  cham- 
pion of  Calvinists;  but  he  bepraises  them  at  a  wonderful 
rate.  Among  other  things  we  are  taught  that  <«a  Calvin- 
ist  will  believe  God*s  word,  but  he  will  believe  nothing 
else  in  matters  of  religion;"  and  also  that  his  head  "is 
bullet  proof  against  any  cannon  of  any  calibre,  unless 
the  bullet  be  a  text  f  scripture."^  We  are  assured  that 
Calvinists  have  never  erred  in  doctnne,  but  only  in  philos* 
ophy.§  And  the  honest  indignation  of  their  cliampion 
prompts  him  to  ask,  **am  I  to  be  told  that  they  <«c//a/<cr- 
ed*'  the  gospel  call  in  terms  that  made  Jesus  Christ  a 
cheat  and  a  liar?"^ 

Now  from  all   these,  and  many  similar  observations, 


*And  yet  Dr.  Gray  speaks  well  upon  the  subject  of  giv- 
ing distorted  views.  C3uly  hear  him!  *'It  is  indeed  one  of 
the  grand  secrets  of  controversy  to  prove  what  your  adversa- 
ry admits;  and  it  is  siill  better  to  prove  what  nobody  ever  de- 
nied— To  heap  argument  on  argument  and  demonstration  on 
demonstration — To  challenge  your  opponent  and  the  whole 
human  race  to  contradict  you — And  then  yon  may  fling  out  a 
dozen  or  two  hard  terms  about  intellectual  force  and  intel- 
Jectual  debility,  about  prejudice  and  fools  and  ideots.  Nine 
tenths  of  your  readers  will  all  this  time  imagine  that  your 
opponent  is  the  driveller  at  whose  solid  head  the  thunderbolts 
are  launched;  and  that  you  are  the  intellectual  giant  whose 
single  arm  is  law.*'     Fiend  48. 

It  may  very  properly  be  asked,  whether  the  course  Dr. 
Gray  has  pursued  "a  dozen  or  two"  times  within  tlu  com- 
pass of  his  little  volume  is  not  intended  as  an  illustration  of 
these  rules.  Nothing  teaches  so  aptly  as  example.  Nothing 
can  impart  such  strong  assurance  of  a  man's  accuracy  in  des- 
cribiiig  any  course,  as  the  finding  that  he  has  actually  travel- 
led it  r:j.';ht  frequently. 

■\Fienil  112.         il(t.  97.         §/(/.  91.         3f/(f..  90;., 


S78  The  Contrast. 

<<nine  tenths"  of  readers  would  be  led  to  imagine  that 
C^alvinists  are  the  only  bi^inj^s  on  earth  who  have  any 
reverence  for  the  word  of  God:  that  the  <<young  preach- 
er" must  have  evinced  great  hostility  to  Calvinists:  and 
that  D).  Gray  is  <«the  intellectual  giant"  who  stands  up 
in  their  defence,  and  ''whose  single  arm  is  law." 

We  will  not  quarrel  <ith  Dr.  Gray  for  the  title  «Cal- 
vinist."  When  it  is  assumed  as  the  mere  badge  of  a  par- 
ty, when  it  is  wielded  for  the  purpose  of  exciting  preju- 
dice among  those  who  are  i^overned  by  the  magir  of  a 
name,  we  cannot  think  of  stooping  like  unprincipled 
tmd  unblushing  demagogues  to  wrestle  for  the  advantage 
of  possessing  such  a  weapon.  Dr.  Gray  may  wear  it. 
Eut  we  will  examine  how  it  suits  him,  merely  for  our  own 
amusement.  au 

1.  What  is  the  professed  object  of  his  book?  Is  it  not 
to  detect  *'two  sophisms'*  which  <«are  to  be  found  in  the 
w^ritings  of  tlie  most  distinguished  chiefs  of  tiie  Talvin- 
islic  churches;  and  are  heard  in  the  sermons  of  most  Cal- 
vinistic  preacher-^''.^^  And  does  not  the  fiend  over  and 
over  tell  us  that  **Mr.  M  "  adopts  these  sophisms  in 
com.mai  with  the  Cahinists?  Thus  far,  at  least,  then,  he 
is  the  Calvinist,  and  Dr.  Gray  the  Anti  Calvinist. 
2.  Does  not  the  writer  build  his  main  conclusion  on  a  great 
variety  of  principles  and  assumptions  which  all  Calvinists 
have  heretofore  admitted?  And  does  not  Dr.  Gray  reject 
these  very  principles  and  assumptions  one  by  one,  that 
he  may  ^t\  clear  of  an  otherwise  irresistable  conclusion? 
Who  then  is  best  entitled  to  the  name  of  Calvinist? 

3.  While  Dr.  Gray  assures  us  that  all  Calvinists  vene- 
rate the  scriptures  and  build  doctrines  upon  nothing  else; 
he  founds  his  own  great  principle,  that  noble  discovery 
w  hicii  is  to  lay  the  fiend,  crush  the  writer,  and  regenerate 
the  churches — not  upon  one  solitary  text  of  scripture — 

hut — UPO]^     THE      COMMENTARIES      OF     SiR     WlLtlAM 

Blackstone!!  Does  that  look  like  Calvinism?  especially 
whcT'  avowedly  attempted  for  the  purpose  of  overturning 
old  Calvinistic  notions! 

^  A  Calvinist  builds  only  on  scriptural  grounds.  We 
sjupp-rted   our  view  of  the  gradual  development  of  the 

^Fknd  110. 


Tlie  Contrast,  ^79 

body  of  Clirist  by  numerous  text  >  of  scripture.  We  pro- 
ved from  Romans  vii,  that  no  person  can  be  at  the  same 
time  under  bolh  covenants.  Tuis  position  was  fortified 
by  all  the  scriptural  imagery  employed  to  illustrate  our 
transfer  out  of  the  first  into  the  second  Adam;  hy  the  al- 
lusion3  to  ''an  alien,"  tot!  c  branches  of»<the  wild  olive,'' 
to  the  <*stranger  from  the  covenants  of  promise,"  and 
to  the  doctrine  of  inheritance.  Now  all  these  images  are 
declaredly  used  to  illustrate  the  very  point  in  controver- 
sy: and  they  decide  most  clearly  in  favor  of  the  writer. 
But  Dr.  Gray  will  not  admit  tlieir  force:  he  calls  them 
"shadowy  metaphor^/'  *<abstractions,"  **phrases  wliicU 
melt  into  mist  wlien  tho  ray  of  truth  touches  them." 
And  he  says  there  is  but  orse  scriptural  image  tiiat  illus- 
trates the  matter  at  all.  But  all  these  others  are  never- 
theless employed  hy  the  p;*n  of  inspiration  to  illustrate  it. 
What  foil  'ws?  These  are  <*texts  of  scripture;"  and  "the 
head  of  a  Calvinist  is  bullet  proof  aguinst  any  cannon  of 
any  calibre,  unless  the  bullet  be  a  text  of  scripture."  All 
these,  we  repeat  it,  are  '-texts  o(  scriptur?^;"  and  the  head 
of  Dr.  Gray  is  "bullet  proof*  against  them.  What  fol- 
lows? Why  either  that  Dr.  Gray  is  not  a  Calvinist  at 
all;  or  else  that  he  is  endowed  with  a  Calvinistic  skull  of 
very  peculiar  thickness. 

4.  Even  in  relation  to  the  single  point  on  which  this 
controversy  turns,  and  the  several  views  of  which  consti- 
tute the  distinguishing  features  .>f  the  respective  theories! 
of  Dr.  Gray  ai^d  the  writer,  Dr.  Gray  recedes  mucli  the 
farthest  from  t!ie  Calvinistic  Churches.  The  wiiter 
agrees  with  the  Calvinists  in  regarding  represen.aion  as 
the  ground  of  imputation;  h?it  he  maintains,  against  them, 
that  representation  flows  from  union  with  the  Saviour, 
and  commences  at  tiie  moment  of  tiiat  union.  Dr.  Gray 
cuts  the  knot  by  denying  that  salvation  is  precii.  ated  at 
all  on  representation.  His  Is  in  fact  a  Hopkirsian  senti- 
ment; ajid,  to  use  his  own  candid  expression,  "its  tenden- 
cy is  toward  Socinianism."*     Mark    him!  ^Righteous- 


*lt  is  strange  what  a  ^'terdency"  some  people  exhibit  to. 
argue  like  Socinians.  Some  y<.ars  ago  a  pamphiei  was  pui)- 
lis!.(d  in  hie;  country  with  a  view  to  disprove  the  dociiii.e  of 
V'rariQUSsacriffCft.     Amot.2^  etlier  arguments  tg  establish  the 


^^0  The  Conimsh 

uess  is  imputable  because ii  is  righteousness,  and  not  he-' 
cause  of  the  representation  or  federative  relation  of  the 
party  to  whom  it  is  imputed/  But  the  atonement  is  ati 
important  part  of  this  righteousness:  therefore  the  atone- 
ment is  not  imputed  on  the  ground  of  representation. 
Consequently  the  atonement  is  imputable  because  it  is  an 
atonement;  and  it  does  not  become  an  atonement  in  vir- 
tue of  its  having  been  made  in  the  character  of  a  repre- 
sentative. Now  what  is  this  but  another  form  of  utter- 
ance of  the  Hopkinsian  notion  of  an  atonement  for  sin  in 
the  abstract?     '^l  call  this  demonstration  unassailable." 

We  should  have  been  glad  to  have  parted  with  Dr. 
Gray  on  other  terms.  His  highly  cultivated  intellect, 
Ijis  independence  of  character,  liis  loftiness  of  mind,  did 
create  and  justify  the  expectation  that  in  a  cause  in  which 
he  liad  volunteered  his  services,  without  any  very  loud 
or  urgent  call,  he  would  at  least  have  conducted  the  quar- 
rel with  fairness  of  argument,  and  without  inuendo  and 
-outrageous  prrsonality  We  have  been  disappointed.- 
Dr.  Gray  has  been  detected  in  the  use  of  unlawfi>l  arms; 
and  pleased  as  we  should  have  been  to  Isave  treated  hiiiar 
'with  knightly  courtesy,  '^##*#^#*#**##^)^- 
FINIS. 


absurdity  of  the  idea  that  the  death  of  Christ  was  ''the  price" 
of  l^ardon,  the  writer  very  triumphantly  ask.*,  "who  got  the 
price.f^"  And  as  it  is  plain  that  ^'God  gave  his  Son  to  suf- 
fer;" he  as  triumphantly  concludes  that  the  price  of  parcioa 
must  have  been  paid  to  the  Devil. 

In  pretty  much  the  same  style,  Dr.  Gray  asks,  if  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  "lias  a  right  to  send  out  agents 
into  other  lands  to  preach  rebellion  against  other  govern- 
ments.^'* and  then  «»if  Jesus  Christ  be  only  the  head  ot  actual 
■believers,  what  is  there  in  sue!'  a  system  to  authorize  him  to 
command  all  sinners,  under  pain  of  eternal  death,  to  accept 
his  salvation?"  Fiend  80.  That  is,  gentle  reader,  what 
right  has  Jesus  Christ  to  promote  rebellion  against  the  Dev- 
il! All  men,  then,  are  the  Devil's  lawful  subjects,  according- 
to  Dr.  Gray;  and  the  Sociniun  was  right  who  said  he  must 
have  got  "the  price."  In  manner  and  nmtier  these  tv/c  gen,- 
t'lemen  h?.rmorJ'/.e  v  v:  \  '.• '  j. t . 


SKETCHES 

OF  THE 

OF  GOD. 


^A 


|53*The  publisher  deems  it  necessary  to  apologize  for 
the  Hppei*.rance  of  the  following  discourses  at  the  end  of 
this  volume.  He  had  in  the  first  instance  printed  five 
hundred  copies  of  them  for  a  part  of  the  edition,  and  in- 
serted them  at  the  close  of  the  principal  series.  It  was 
at  that  time  supposed  that  five  hundred  copies  would  more 
than  supply  subscribers  to  the  work.  And  it  was  not 
deemed  advisable  to  hazard  the  expense  of  swelling  the 
othtr  five  hundred  copies  by  the  insertion  of  any  thing 
not  originally  proposed.  It  now  appears  that  an  addi- 
tional number  will  be  requisite  to  meet  the  demands  of 
subscription;  and  although  it  is  not  in  his  power  to  pre- 
sent the  volume  to  all  exactly  in  the  same  form,  he  is  anx- 
ious to  furnish  precisely  the  same  quantity  of  pages  to 
every  subscriber;  and  therefore  now  reprints  tlie  follow- 
ing discourses  and  inserts  them  after  the  appendix. 

It  is  only  necessary  to  add  that  these  discourses  were 
selected  from  the  "sketches''  referred  to  in  the  title  page 
of  this  volume. 

Lexington,  August,  1818. 


THE 


,^^T¥t 


OF 

ABEL. 


^'^Jtnd  Adam  knew  Eve  his  icife:  and  she  concern- 
ed and  hm^e   Cain^  and  said,  1  have  gotten   a 
man  from  the  Lord.     And  she  again  bare  hi$ 
drother    Mel.     And    Abel    was   a    Iceejper    of 
sheep,  but   Cain  teas   a  tiller  of  the  ground. 
And  in  process  of  time  it  came  to  pass 9   that 
Cain  brought  of  the  fruit  of  the  ground  an  of- 
fering   unto    the    Lord,     And    Abel,   he    also 
brought  of  the  firstlings  of  his  flock,   and  of 
the  fat  thereof     And  the  Lord  had  respect  un- 
to Abel,  and  to  his  offering:  but  unto  Cain  and 
to  his  offering,  he  had  not  respect.     And  Cain 
ivas  very    wroth,    and    his    countenance  felL 
And  the  Lord  said  unto  Cain,   Whij  art  thou 
wroth?  and  why  is  thy  countenance  fallen?     If 
thou  doest   well,  shall  thou  not    be  accepted?^ 
and  if  thou  doest  not  well,  sin  lieth  at  the  door. 
And  iinto  thee  shall  be  hfs  desire ^  and  thon 


^84  TJie  Death  of  Mel 

^Jialt  rule  over  Mm,  And  Cain  talked  with 
Mel  his  brother:  and  it  came  to  pass,  when 
ihey  were  in  the  field,  that  Cain  rose  up 
against  Abel  his  brother,  and  slew  him,^' 

Gen.  iv.  l--*8. 

There  is  probably  nothing  that  so  much  tends  to 
perplex  the  judgement  of  the  wise  and  good,  and  to 
fortify  the  unbeliever  in  his  rejection  of  Messiah, 
as  the  anomalous  government  under  which  our 
World  has  been  placed  by  two  concurrent  causes, 
the  introduction  of  sin,  and  of  the  plan  of  redemp- 
tion. The  influence  of  each  of  these  causes  extends 
to  every  thing:  and  gives  such  a  variegated  and 
ever-changing  character,  not  only  to  the  actions  of 
men,  but  to  the  dispensations  of  the  Deity,  that  no 
understanding  short  of  the  Divine  can  unravel  the 
complicated  web. 

It  is  easy  to  conceive  the  general  aspect 
of  things,  in  a  world  where  sin  has  never  en- 
tered, and  where  infinite  goodness  measures  out 
to  the  good  a  law  that  encounters  nothing  but 
order  and  felicity.  Nor  is  it  very  hard  to  conjec- 
ture the  condition  of  a  world  where  rebellion  has 
taken  hold  on  the  heart  of  every  creature;  and 
where  the  Judge,  not  revolving  any  purposes  of 
inercy,  issues  the  simple  mandate,  ^4et  justice 
take  its  course."  There  we  should  expect  to 
contemplate  society  without  order:  to  see  misery 
without  mixture:  to  find  horror  without  hope.  But 
nothing  short  of  actual  observation  c^ld  suggest 


Tlie  D-eath  ofMeL  g85 

any  thing  like  an  idea  of  (lie  chequered  scene  m-e- 
sented  in  a  world  of  wickedness  under  a  dispensa- 
tion of  mercy.  All  that  mixture  of  evil  amoiii;  the 
upright^  all  those  traits  of  amiablencss  and  excel- 
lence which  adorn  millions  of  the  impenitent^  all 
those  bounties  which  bless  the  offending  nations,  all 
thos^e  judgments  which  sweep  without  discrimina- 
tion the  righteous  and  the  wiclwcd — all  tiicse  things 
tend  to  perplex  and  confound  the  most  intelligent 
observer.  No  man  is  free  from  sin,  and  none  is 
perfectly  and  fully  given  up  to  the  dominion  of  in- 
iquity. Of  course  we  are  perplexed  in  the  estimate 
we  strive  to  form  of  human  character;  we  are  per- 
plexed  in  our  opinion  of  the  divine  dispensations; 
we  are  perplexed  about  the  tendency  and  about 
the  character  of  things.  It  is  just  such  a  state  of 
things  as  must  necessarily  ensue,  when  a  plan  is 
in  progress  for  tKe  recovery  of  a  v»^orld.  The  curse 
does  not  utterly  desolate;  for  tliere  is  mercy  in  re- 
serve: mercy  and  goodness  do  not  flow  unrestrain- 
ed; for  wickedness  is  rampant,  and  judgments  arc 
abroad.  God  only  can  estimate  the  conduct  and 
motives  of  every  son  of  Adam;  God  only  fore- 
sees the  precise  effect  which  his  dispensations  are 
to  produce;  God  only  knows  Iiovv  to  suit  tiiem  ex- 
actly to  the  characters  and  tlie  end:  ar.d  he  is  a 
"wise  man  who,  concluding  with  the  scripture  that 
^^no  man  knowetli  good  or  evil  by  all  that  is  done 
under  the  sun,'^  consents  to  let  God  rule  his  own 
world  in  his  own  way,  and  sits  down  patiently  and 


m^  The  Death  of  Mel 

submissively  to  the  task  assigned  him,  the  goverh' 
meiit  of  his  own  heart  and  ways. 

It  was  at  a  very  early  period  that  our  fallen  pro- 
genitors  began  to  learn   this  lesson.     Mercy  had 
restored  them  to  the  hope  of  life,  Messiah  had  in- 
terposed to  stay  the  tide  of  desolation,  and  with  his 
own  lips  had  pronounced  the  tidings  of  peace  and 
pardon  through  his  own  oblation  to  be  afterwards 
accomplished.     It  might  have   seemed  natural  to 
infer  that  then  all  the  consequences  of  their  trans- 
gression would  be  prevented;  that  the  sentence  of 
death  was  to  be  entirely  abrogated;  that  their  bow- 
er should  still  flourish  over  them  in  Eden;  and  that 
they  might  anticipate  a  progeny  favored  and  forgiv- 
en   and  happy  as  themselves.     But   such  things 
might  not  be.     The  sentence  was  irrevocable,  ^thoa 
shalt  have  sorrow  and  labour;'  "dust  thou  art,  and 
unto  dust  thou  shalt  return.'^     Grod  may  forgive, 
but  he  will  not  approve  transgression:  he  will  not 
remit  the  mark  of  his  displeasure  against  it. 

This  they  were  soon  to  learn.  Adam  must 
leave  the  spot  where  he  had  held  converse  with  his 
maker:  and  those  happy  bowers,  those  blissful 
liaiuits^  must  be  no  more  visited  by  Eve.  Banish^ 
ed  from  Paradise,  they  sought  another  home. 
^'Eastward  from  Eden,"  and  in  some  spot  between 
the  mouth  of  the  Euphrates  and  the  channel  of  the 
Indus,  they  sought  a  less  favored  and  a  less  happy 
Jionie.  In  due  time,  however,  the  loneliness  and 
sorrows  of  their  banished  state  were  in  some  sort 


The  Death  of  Mel,  SSy 

relieved  by  the  birth  of  a  sen.  New  and  tender  so- 
licitudes would  naturally  divert  their  minds  from 
dwelling  on  their  regrets.  1  his  first  born  son,  the 
beginning  of  their  strength,  a  pledge  that  God  re- 
membered them,  gave  happy  omen  of  the  promised 
period  when  their  burdens  should  be  lightened  and 
their  solitude  done  away,  by  a  numerous  tribe  of 
sons  and  daughters,  able  and  ready  to  minis^ter  to 
their  wants  and  to  anticipate  even  their  wishes. 

But  to  the  mother  of  our  race  it  was  an  event  pe- 
culiarly interesting.  A  mother's  feelings  are  most 
quick  and  tender;  a  mother's  hopes  are  highest. 
She,  too,  had  proved  the  unhappy  leader  in  trans- 
gression, the  seducer  of  her  husband,  the  betrayer 
of  the  world  o  To  her  more  directly  the  promise  had 
been  given  that  her  seed  should  be  the  bruiser  of 
the  serpent's  head.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  a  heart 
yearning  over  her  child,  and  valuing  so  highly  a 
promise  which  her  follies  had  rendered  necessary — 
is  it  any  wonder  that  her  heart  so  tender  and  her 
hope  so  eager  should  have  augured  most  auspici- 
ously  of  this  first  born  son;  and  that,  ignorant  as  she 
was  of  God's  real  purposes  and  plans,  she  sliould 
have  read  in  that  child  the  accomplislimeht  of  the 
prediction,  and  anticipated  the  promised  victory 
through  him?  It  appears  that  she  did  so;  and 
accordingly  gav«  him  a  name  expressive  of  her  ex- 
pectation. She  called  liim  Gain,  the  obtained  or 
gotten;  ^*for  I  have  gotten,"  said  she,  ^^the  man, 
the  iiord.'^     iS©  .fovi  will  find  it  rendered  in  the 


2SS  Tfie  Death  of  Mel 

Biargin  of  your  Bibles.  The  tmnslation  of  the  ex- 
pression is  literally  correct,  and  obviously  points 
at  the  idea  just  suggested.  A  fallen  woman  mourn- 
ed her  rash  adventure;  a  fond  and  anxious  mother 
gazed  with  tenderness  and  delight  upon  the  little 
stranger;  slie  expected  from  him  every  thing,  sho^ 
attributed  to  him  every  thing,  she  hailed  him  as 
the  deliverer  who  w  as  to  repair  her  wrong.  Ah! 
destined  to  sustain  a  very  different  character,  and 
to  shock  a  mother  s  feelings  by  very  different  work! 

But  it  would  appear  that  something  of  that  petu- 
lance and  stubbornness  of  infancy,  which  so  often 
mark  tlie  character  of  the  future  man,  soon  cor- 
rected  these  delusive  hopes.  For  we  find  that  at 
the  birth  of  a  second  son  the  current  of  her  feelings 
had  completely  changed:  and  the  name  she  bestow- 
ed on  him  indicates  a  sense  of  no  moderate  disap- 
pointment. She  called  him  Mel^  i.  e.  Vanity, 
Her  hope  was  disappointed,  and  she  would  calcu- 
late no  more. 

How  many  sons  and  daughters  succeeded  to 
these  two,  we  are  no  where  told  in  scripture;  but 
it  would  appear  from  a  remark  incidentally  drop- 
ped by  Cain,  about  the  time  of  the  sad  transaction 
in  which  he  was  chief  actor,  that  they  must  have 
been  somewhat  numerous.  Their  history  howev- 
er had  little  or  no  bearing  on  the  destinies  of  future 
times,  and  they  are  accordingly  left  unnoticed. 

The  page  of  inspiration  attaches  itself  to  these 
tw9;  in  whose  eventful  story  Adam  was  taught 


The  Death  of  Mel  '^gg 

much  of  the  consequences  of  his  sin,  and  the  world 
may  learn  much  of  the  misery  it  inherits. 

The  children  grew  up  to  man's  estate;   and,  in- 
heriting the  judgment  pronounced  upon  our  race, 
betook  themselves  to  various  kih\i»;. of  labour.     *^A- 
bel  was  a  keeper  of  sheep,  but  Cain  was  a  tiller  of 
the   ground.'^     The  judgment  inflicted   in  conse- 
quence of  the  first  transgression,  aflTected  not  only 
the  ground,  but  all  the  cattle  of  the  field.     The  dis- 
ordered elements  bore  hard  on  the  various  tribes  of 
domestic  animals,  and  cut  oif  their  facilities  for  liv- 
ing.    Human  industry  must  provide  them  shelter 
from  the  elements,  human  foresiglit  must  interpose 
to  procure  them  food,  human  judgment  must  select 
the  spots  to  which  they  might  be  led  to  pasture: 
^^Abel  was  a  keeper  of  sheep. *^     The  earth  also 
had  in  a  great  measure  ceased  to  yield  spontanc-i 
ously  food  that  was  good  for  man.     It  must  be  la- 
boriously prepared,  ere  the  seed  was  sown;  it  must 
be  diligently  cultivated^  or  the  weeds  would  spring 
up  and  choke  the  tender  blade.     This  was  Cain's 
occupation:  he  w^as  ^^a  tiller  of  the  ground."     To 
these  different  occupations  they  may  have  several- 
ly betaken  them,  as  choice  or  circumstances  dicta- 
ted.    We  cannot  agre^  with  those  who  are  led  to 
imagine  from  the  story  of  this  unhappy  pair  of  bro- 
thers, that  either  the  choice  or  the  pursuit  of  their 
several  occupations  indicated  or  promoted  the  differ* 
ent  dispositions  and  principles  by  w  hich  they  were 
actuated  through  life.The  professi<%  ofCain  was  that 

»  V 


mJ)  The  Death  of  Mel 

which  God  himself  had  assigned  to  our  first  father, 
while  in  the  state  of  innocence;  and  though  it  be 
an  undoubted  truth  that  it  required  more  exertion 
q.iid  attention  than  we  are  in  the  habit  of  attribu- 
ting to  the  shep.j^.d's  life,  yet  it  proved  so  much 
the  better  shield  from  the  temptations  couj^ied  with 
idleness.  But  both  employments  were  innocent: 
they  were  equally  proper.  Nor  is  it  saying  little 
for  that  early  age,  that  tbcy  so  speedily  learned 
to  appreciate  the  advantages  arising  from  the  divi- 
sion of  labour. 

These  young  men,  hov/ever,  appear  to  have  been 
tiqually  and  carefully  instructed  by  their  parents  ia 
the  duties  connected  with  the  present  state.  Both 
were  made  acquainted  with  tlie  prospect  of  salvation 
through  ttife  promised  seed.  And  both  had  no 
doubt  witnessed  from  their  childhood  those  fre- 
quent sacrifices  instituted  by  God  before  our  pro- 
genitors left  the  garden;  and  which  were  designed 
to  shew  forth  Messiah  to  be  slain.  Accordingly 
both  of  them  were  professed  worshippers  of  the  God 
of  the  whole  earth:  ^^And  it  came  to  pass  in  pro- 
ces  of  time  that  Cain  brought  of  the  fruit  of  the 
ground  an  offering  to  the  Lord.  And  Abel,  he  al- 
so brought  of  the  firstlings  of  his  flock.''  Both  of 
these  offerings  were  in  their  nature  good,  and 
would,  under  certain  circumstances,  have  been  high- 
ly proper.  The  sacrifice  of  animal  life  was  ordain- 
ed, we  have  said,  as  the  type  of  Messiah  to  be- 
.«'lain  for  sin/  as  the  emblem  of  his  life  given  for  our 


The  Death  of  Mp.I  Sgi 

lives,  that  the  world  might  be  saved  by  him.  Every 
stoch  sacrifice,  therefore,  was  a  direct  acknowledg- 
ment that  the  offerer  was  a  sinner;  it  was  also  the 
expression  of  contrition  for  his  sin,  and  of  his  faith 
in  the  salvation  of  Messiah.  This  kind  of  offering, 
then,  was  not  only  proper,  it  was  indispensable  to 
all  men.  It  was  ordained  of  God  for  men  as  sin- 
neis.  But  all  those  other  so  very  frequent  offer- 
ings, though  highly  proi>er  in  tliemseives,  spoke  a 
very  different  language.  They  were  the  indica- 
tions of  thankfulness  for  benefits  received;  they 
were  proper  expressions  of  man's  sense  of  depend- 
ence.  But  they  were  nothing  more.  They  spoke^ 
of  kinduess,  but  not  of  pardon;  of  thankfulness,  but 
not  of  contrition;  of  the  God  of  glory,  but  not  of  the 
God  of  grace.  In  the  hand  of  every  sinner  they 
would  of  coarse  be  proper,  for  all  stand  debtors  by 
iiiany  obligations:  but  they  would  have  been  equal- 
ly appropriate  in  hands  not  stained  with  crime. 

This  distinction  was  well  known  tcr  Abel.  His 
felt  his  own  unworthiness,  and  he  stood  ready  to 
acknowledge  it;  he  kn^w  his  need  of  forgiveness, 
and  he  was  ready  to  sue  for  it;  he  recollected  the 
first  great  promise  of  a  Saviour,  and  he  was  glad 
to  confide  in  it.  The  Apostle  Paul  has  attested  that 
these  things  were  so.  In  his  epistle  to  the  He- 
brews, Abel  ranks  high  in  his  catalogue  of  ww^- 
tbies;  and  the  reason  assigned  is,  that  bis  offerings 
•were  tendered  in  the  faith  of  God's  Messiah. 
He  came  a  simier;  he  came  a  suppliant;;  and  hi^ 


29B  The  Death  of  Abel 

offering  was  accepted:  "God  had  respect  to  Abel^ 
and  to  his  offering.'^  In  what  way  this  expression 
of  the  Divine  acceptance  was  vouchsafed,  the  his- 
tory does  not  tell  us.  It  may  have  been  that  fire 
fell  from  heaven,  and  kindled  on,  and  consumed  the 
sacrifice;  for  this  we  know  was  not  unusual:  or  the 
acceptance  may  have  been  indicated  by  a  voice 
from  Heaven.  All  that  we  know  with  certainty,  is 
the  fact  that  the  indication  was  of  a  nature  to  be  cer- 
tainly known,  not  only  to  Abel,  but  to  all  who  wit- 
nessed the  transaction.  Cain  also  saw  it:  Cain 
knew  that  the  offering  of  his  brother  was  accepted. 
Hoping  well  from  such  an  omen,  he  forthwith  pre- 
sents his  own.  It  was  an  expression  of  depend- 
ance  on  him  who  rules  the  seasons;  it  was  an  ac- 
knowledgment of  his  goodness  in  sending  rain  from 
heaven,  and  in  bringing  forward  and  ripening  the 
fruits  of  the  earth.  It  was  of  the  first  ripe  fruits 
that  this  offering  consisted.  It  was  of  the  fruit  of 
his  own  industry  laid  upon  God's  altar,  in  thankful 
acknowledgment  that  to  God  he  owed  his  all.  But 
then  it  spoke  not  one  word  of  sin,  or  of  penitence 
for  sin.  It  said  nothing  of  that  Messiah  through 
whose  merits  alone  all  offerings  of  sinful  beings  are 
accepted.  It  glanced  not  at  the  promise  on  which 
Abel  fixed  his  hope,  when  the  blood  of  his  victim 
flowed.  Busy,  bustling,  Cain  had  been  thinking 
about  too  many  things  to  think  much  about  his  sin- 
^  fulness;  and  had  too  many  interests  perpetually  at 
take  to  take  any  lively  interest  in  the  promise  of  a 


The  Death  of  Mel  293 

Saviour.  He  sva^,  however,  no  Atlieist5  he  knew  the 
God  of  providence,  and  he  was  ready  to  acknowledge 
hhn;  he  felt  his  own  dependence,  and  he  was  thank- 
ful for  the  bounty  that  provided  for  Jiim  and  pro- 
tected him.    Thus  he  made  his  offerings  encouraged 
no  doubt  by  the  favorable  reception  with  which  his 
brother   had  met.     But  no  fire  from  heaven  was 
seen   to   kindle  on  that  altar;    no  voice  from  the 
throne  spoke  of  kindness  to  the  worshipper:  ^'To 
Cain  and  to  his  offering  the  liOrd  had  not  respect.'^ 
It  is  not,  my  brethren,  an  unusual  thing  for  the 
divine  displeasure  against  transgressors  to  be  indi- 
cated in  this  way.    Men  may  contract,  they  often  do 
contract  some  fearful  stain  of  sin,   and  conscience 
alarmed  and  wounded  anticipates  a  speedy  and  fear- 
ful visitation.     But  day  rolls  on  after  day,  heaven's 
rain  descends,  heaven's  sun  shines  full  upon  them^ 
and  all  things  move  on  as  though  God  regarded  not. 
Often  they  sink  back  into  a  stupor  of  forgctfulness, 
imagining  that  God's  judgments  are  not  quite  so 
sure,  and  that  sin  is  a  matter  not  quite  so  dan- 
gerous as  they  had  been  led  to  think.     On  other 
occasions,  the  premonitions  of  a  guilty  conscience 
keep  up  perpetual  fears,  and  urge  tliem  to  make 
their  peace.     Like  Cain  they  bring  their  offering; 
perhaps  do  more  than  he  did,  perhaps  make  confes- 
sion of  their  sin.     But    still,  all  things  move  ou 
as  usual:  heaven  is  mute  as  death;  no  word  of  re- 
proach, no  voice  of  approbation,  is  whispered  to  the 
consilience:  God,  as  if  afar  off,  speaks  not  in  an- 


i^  i'he  PeatJi  of  Met 

ger,  nor  communicates  ought  of  peace.  Wha,t 
means  that  silence,  fixed  and  dreadful,  so  like  the 
sullen  and  portentous  calm  before  the  earthquake 
shakes  the  solid  earth!  It  is  the  silence  which  indi- 
cates a  purpose  in  high  heaven,  fixed  as  it  is  mute: 
it  is  the  seal  of  reprobation,  "let  him  alone,'^  when 
men  stand  guilty,  and  neglect  the  only  way  in 
which  guilt  can  be  removed.  It  is  the  direful  in- 
dication of  an  heart  too  much  hardened  to  be  bet- 
tered by  chastisement;  of  a  being  only  let  alone,^ 
because  he  has  not  yet  filled  up  the  measure  of  his 
sins. 

The  last  of  these  conditions  was  the  lot  of  Cain- 
tie  came  as  a  worshipper,  and  God  did  not  regard 
him.  But  this  silence  produced  far  diflferent  feel- 
ings from  those  which  we  should  deem  natural  as 
well  as  proper.  He  did  not  inquire  the  cause  of 
this  rejection:  the  memory  of  his  offences  did  not 
rise  up  before  him:  he  thought  not  of  soliciting  for- 
giveness of  ought  that  he  had  done:  he  was  not 
even  terrified  at  this  mark  of  the  Divine  displeasure. 

He  rather  chose  to  act  as  if  his  maker  were  the 
offender,  and  himself  the  party  "more  sinnM  a- 
gainst  than  sinning.''  His  mind  recurred  to  the  ac- 
cepted offering  of  his  brother,  and  to  that  altar  fia- 
ming  toward  the  gate  of  heaven;  and  he  dared  to 
impeach  the  justice  of  the  Eternal,  he  dared  to  ar- 
raign that  very  goodness  in  acknowledgment  of 
which  he  had  just  now  brought  his  offering;  because 
his  offering  was  rejected  while  his  brother's  had 


Tlie  Beatli  of  Mel  S65 

been  accepted.  He  was  not  liumbled;  Tieitber  was 
lie  terrified;  but  he  "was  very  wroth,  and  his  coun- 
tenance MV^  What  an  horrible  disposition?  What 
atrocious  envy!  O  we  have  heard,  and  we  have 
sometimes  seen  it  too,  how  envy  writhes  when  it 
sees  the  meed  of  merit;  and  how,  "like  a  scorpion 
girt  with  fire,"  it  will  drive  its  maddening  sting  in- 
to its  own  distracted  brain,  if  it  may  not  vent  its 
fury  on  the  object  of  its  hate.  And  we  have  some- 
times thought  that  frightful  as  it  is, — although  its 
spirit  be  restless  and  relentless,  and  foul  and  lean 
and  sharp  its  harpy  talons, — ^yet  we  have  thoiight  it 
might  sometimes  tax  compassion  as  well  as  indig- 
nation, because  it  still  speaks  the  ruins  of  a  glori- 
ous nature,  an  heart  not  so  debased  as  to  be  dead 
to  the  blessings  of  an  honorable  fame.  I  look  upon 
ambition,  or  even  upon  envy,  and  I  am  disposed  to 
say:  'Still  it  is  the  struggle  of  an  aspiring  spirit  for 
that  proud  eminence  whose  steep  and  narrow  peak 
is  too  small  to  seat  the  millions  who  would  fondly 
reach  it;  it  is  a  noble  though  much  perverted  feel- 
ing.^ Or  1  say  that  'self-love,  blinding  a  mortal  to 
his  own  defects,  and  greatly  magnifying  his  little 
sum  of  excellence,  may  lead  him  to  imagine  that 
the  han  Is  wiiich  clapped  the  laurels  on  another 
brow  must  have  been  unfairly  g  iided;  for  though 
another  wore  it,  yet  the  meed  was  of  right  his  own/ 
Thus  envy  might  be  traced  to  a  misguided  feeling, 
resisting  and  avenging  an  imagined  wrong.  But 
when  I  look  upon  this  CaiN;  when  Imark  the  fiv^t 


^m  'llie  Death  of  Mel 

ravings  of  that  ^^green-eycd  monster/'  as  it  wrought 
tip  to  madness  the  first  born  among  men,  I  learn 
enough  to  annihilate  the  charitable  but  still  wretch- 
ed lame  apology.  Cain  was  the  ruin  of  a  noble 
nature.  Let  him  teach  you  what  man  is,  and  of 
what  thoughts  of  horror  he  is  capable.  Cain  could 
not  suppose  a  mistake  in  the  Omniscient:  he  could 
attribute  nothing  to  a  partial  feeling:  he  must  have 
felt  satisfied  that  the  preference  w\as  just:  yet  he 

ENVIED  HIS  OWN  BROTHER  THE  FAVOR  OF  HIS  GoD, 

Do  not  then  imagine  that  envy  only  rises  from  mis- 
taken  apprehensions:  or  that  it  is  the  erratic  work- 
ing of  a  towering  spirit  which  cannot  brook  obscu- 
rity: nO;  nor  yet  that  it  is  the  grasping  of  an  inor- 
dinate love  of  glory  in  a  world  too  poor  to  allow 
every  one  the  meed.  Only  look  upon  this  Cain!! 
Men  now  are  accustomed  to  envy  worldly  splendor, 
or  to  tug  for  the  chaplets  wove  from  earth-born 
flowers.  An  ordinary  miscreant  will  yield  heav- 
en's favor  to  be  tlie  rightful  portion  of  the  humble 
or  unhappy:  and  give  him  but  possession,  be  it  by 
force  or  fraud,  of  the  wealth  and  honours  of  the  pre- 
sent w  orld!  the  favor  and  acceptance  of  Almiglity 
God  may  pass^,  the  unvalued  and  unenvied  portion 
of  him  whose  w  ishes  aspire  in  that  direction.  But 
this,  even  this,  natural  as  it  may  seem,  is  not  a  feel- 
ing  necessarily  belonging  to  an  alien  to  grace  and. 
to  the  love  of  heaven.  Look  upon  this  Cain!!  At 
the  time  in  which  he  lived  the  world  was  a  small 
theatre.     liUile  glory  could  be  reaped  from  the  s'lf- 


The  Death  of  Abet  'mj 

frage  of  his  fellows.  There  was  little  to  court  the 
grasp  of  insatiate  ambition.  So  small  vvasthecir* 
cle  of  intelligent  existences  with  whom  man  had 
any  intercourse,  and  so  few  were  the  objects  which 
might  elicit  strong  desire,  that  the  one  great  Intel* 
ligeuce  was  regarded  as  a  vast  addition  to  their 
circle  amid  this  dull  and  lonely  waste;  and  his  fa- 
vour was  an  honour  that  no  man  could  despise. 
And  therefore  foul  ambition — ^so  devilish  is  its  na- 
ture!— could  pounce  with  its  sharp  talons  upoa 
that  stupendous  object!  And  envy,  though  a  deal- 
er in  matters  most  unholy,  could  not  brook  anoth- 
er's interest  in  the  holy  Grod! — 0  man!  man!  man! 
how  little  do  you  know  of  your  own  accursed  na- 
ture, when  you  scan  it  only  as  seen  in  common  cir- 
cumstances, or  attempt  to  measure  it  by  the  fashions 
o/an  age! 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  God,  who  knew  his  heart, 
should  have  rejected  this  man's  offering!  Who 
could  have  been  surprised,  had  heaven  let  loose  its 
thunders  and  struck  the  miscreant  down.  But  be- 
hold the  long  suffering  and  gentleness  of  God!  He 
now  breaks  silence.  He  even  condescends  to  rea- 
son with  his  creature.  ^Why  is  Cain  angry?  If 
thou  doest  well  shalt  thou  not  be  accepted?'  But 
Cain  had  not  been  doing  well.  This  very  appeal  of 
the  Omniscient  is  proof  that  he  had  not.  And  the. 
proud  and  haughty  carriage  with  which  he  conduct- 
ed toward  his  maker  abundantly  proves  it  too. 
That  man  must  have  been  doing  very  far  from  well, 

S  s 


49S  Tha  Death  of  Abel 

Tvhose  conscience  is.  so  stupified  as  to  be  insensible 
to  guilt;  and  ^tbose  spirit  even  rises  to  blaspheme 
his  maker,  because  he  withholds  from  the  oirender'» 
brow  the  honours  of  the  innocent.  No;  Cain  bad 
not  been  doing  well.  Why  should  he  expect,  then, 
to  tnd  favour  with  his  maker?  And  why  take  ref- 
nge  in  such  sullen  anger  when  that  favour  was  with- 
heid? 

You  will  perhaps  say  that  his  conduct  was  but 
the  fruit  of  desperation:  that  he  felt  as  if  he  feared 
nothing,  because  he  had  nothing  more  to  hope:  and 
that  the  relief  of  complaining  may  well  be  concedei^ 
as  a  poor  and  lonely  privilege,  to  him  whose  all  is 
lost— No;  Cain  had  not  even  this  meagre  palliatioB^ 
to  be  plead  in  his  behalf.     God,  who  inight  have 
smitten  him,  not  only  reasoned  with  him;  not  only 
told  him  that  he  had  only  himself  to  blame  for  the  r(^- 
jection  he  complained  of,  that  he  had  many  a  crime 
yet  unconfessed  to  heaven;  but  he  pointed  out  the 
way  in  wliich  he  might  yet  find  favor.     ^^If  thou 
doest  not  well,  sin  lieth  at  the  door.'^     Our  com- 
inoa  version  has  missed  entirely  the  sense  and  spir- 
it of  this  expression.     The   word  translated  sin, 
is  often  used  in  that  sense.     But  then  it  also  sig- 
nifies a  sin  offering,  a  propitiatory  sacrifice,  such  as 
Abel  offered.     And  that  this  is  the  meaning  in  this 
place,  necessarily  follows  from  the  turn  of  the  ex- 
pression; from  the  manner  in  which  thfe  thing  is 
ei  id  to  lie  at  tbe  door.     The  Hebrews,  meagre  as 
'  was  their  language,  had  many  words  of  much  more 


Tlie  JDeath  of  Abet  £9B 

determinate  import  than  those  which  we  employ 
to  express  the  same  ideas.  One  of  that  description 
is  used  in  this  case.  The  woinl  indicates  that 
manner  of  lying  which  we  remark  in  four-footed 
beasts,  when  resting  on  the  ground  with  their  feet 
doubled  under  them.  When  the  Hebrews  spoke 
of  lying  in  a  more  general  sense,  they  always  em- 
ployed a  very  different  word.  It  was  a  beast  prop- 
er for  a  sin-offering  that  was  lying  at  the  door. 

Take  then  the  appeal  with  this  illustration: 
^Why  is  Cain  angry?  If  he  has  been  rejected,  it  is 
for  his  evil  deeds.  "If  thou  doest  well,  shalt  thou 
not  be  accepted?'^  But  if  thou  art  a  transgressorj^ 
there  is  still  a  way  of  safety.  Messiah  has  beeiK 
promised;  sacrifices  have  ht^tn  appointed  to  shew 
forth  his  death;  thou  hast  cattle  for  the  sacrifice  ly- 
ing at  the  door.  Come  then  and  make  confessioti 
of  thy  sin:  come  and  lay  hold  upon  the  hope  of 
God^s  Messiah:  come  tender  thy  sin-offering  to 
thine  offended  maker:  and  then  thou  too  shalt  be 
accepted.^ 

<And  then,  as  to  the  honours  claimed  by  the  first 
horn,'  for  that  too  it  appears  became  a  subject  of 
uneasiness,  <Cain  shall  never  lose  them.  It  is  to 
the  honours  of  piety,  not  of  primogeniture,  that 
Abel  has  been  promoted.  But  let  Cain  never  sup- 
pose that  the  meed  of  piety  can  be  bestowed  in  vir- 
tue of  a  civil  right.  It  can  be  given  only  on  \i^ 
own  appropriate  ground  On  that  ground  let  inm 
seek  it,  and  ho  inhertts  double  honour.     Abel  shall 


30'Q  The  Death  of  Abel 

not  then  be  preferred  in  any  sense.  Abel  shall  take 
his  station  below  the  first  born  son:  ^^unto  thee 
shall  be  his  desire,  and  thou  shalt  rule  over  him.'^ 
Cain  was  silenced,  but  he  was  not  satisfied.  He 
still  was  not  humbled  for  the  oifences  charged  upon 
him.  He  thought  not  of  a  sin-offering  as  his  more 
righteous  brother  had  done.  He  would  submit  to  no 
dictation,  even  from  the  God  who  had  displeased 
him.  The  sin-offering  was  not  tendered;  and  the 
fruits  were  not  accepted.  Thus  was  this  man  and 
his  maker  fairly  at  issue.  <^Let  the  potsherds  strive 
with  the  potsherds  of  the  earth,'^  but  "woe  unto 
him  that  striveth  with  his  maker. '^  Cain  might 
be  wroth,  and  his  countenance  might  fall.  Still 
he  was  too  weak  to  contend  with  the  Almighty. 
Heaven  is  high,  and  his  malice  could  not  reach  it. 
He  goes  forth  from  the  Divine  presence,  bearing 
that  malice  in  his  heart,  and  meditating  plans  of 
treachery  and  murder.  And  such  a  murder!  It 
was  a  brother's  murder — his  earliest  play-mate'a 
murder — the  murder  of  an  unsuspecting,  unoffend- 
ing brother,  whose  only  crime  was  his  piety  ap- 
proved of  God.  It  w^as  thus  he  contended  with 
eternal  righteousness.  If  he  could  not  reach  God, 
he  would  at  least  deprive  him  of  a  worshipper:  he 

would  PUT  HIS  MINION  DOWk! 

But  guilt  is  a  coward,  though  it  wear  a  tyger'g 

aspect.     High-minded  innocence  is  always  unsus- 

^  picious:  or  it  will  learn  to  be  fearless,  even  where 

it  must  suspect.     From  the  letter  and  circumstan- 

qes  of  the  historj  it  would  appear  that  this  rancoij- 


The  Death  of  Mel  301 

Q^s  murderer  took  all  possible  advantages.  This 
is  indicated  very  clearly  by  the  word  employed  in 
the  original  scriptures.  ^'Cain  talked  with  Abel 
liis  brother. ^^  He  then  decoyed  him  to  some  soli- 
tary spot.  And  having  thus  secured  him,  under 
the  mask  of  brotherly  confidence  and  kindness,  he 
rose  up  against  him  and  slew  him.  What  craftf 
what  malevolence!  what  violence!  what  atrocity! 

Here   read  the   malignant   nature   of  that  first 
offence,  which  ^^brought  death  into  the  world,  and 
all  our  woe.'^    See  how  it  curdled  the  milk  of  hu- 
man kindness!     See  how  it  corroded  the  sweetest 
bonds  of  charity!     See  how  it  gave  birth  to  those 
infernal  tempers  that  vent  themselves  in  murmur- 
ings  and  malicious  actings  against  the  God  of  heav- 
en!    Now  might  Adam  well  have  recollected  the 
fearful  prediction  on  the  day  of  his  offence.     God 
had  spoken  of  sorrows:  and  was  ever  parent  ladeQ 
with  such  dread  sorrows  as  those  which  now  accu- 
mulated on  that  old  man's  head!     Here  for  the  first 
time  he  saw   the  curse  fulfilled.     Death  broke  in 
upon  his  domestic  circle,  and  felled  at  his  very  feet 
an  amiable  and  pious  son.     And  no  common  death 
was  this.     But  one  short  hour  before,  this  child  of 
his  affections,  this  being  of  exalted  and  almost  spot- 
less piety,  this  stay  and  consolation  of  his  life,  had 
appeared  before  him  in  all  the  gaiety  of  youth  and 
innocence,  and  in  all  the  lustre  of  a  cherub's  piety, 
O  who  that  can  dive  into   a  father's  feelings,  wlio 
that  can  scrutinize  a  mother's  tenderer  and  mora 


SO^  The  Death  of  M^t 

confiding  heart,  will  be  at  a  loss  to  paint  the  fond 
expectancy  of  these  pious  parents,  when  they  con- 
templated the  recompense  of  their  early  labours  in 
4h8  dignified  piety  of  this  "righteous''  son!  If 
there  be  an  emotion  known  on  «arth  that  may  cope 
with  those  which  thrill  a  seraph's  bosom,  it  is  the 
gladness  which  expands  the  hearts  of  pious  parents 
when  they  see  their  sons,  "the  beginning  of  their 
strength,''  in  strict  alliance  with  the  God  of  grace. 
It  is  an  expectancy  of  all  others  the  most  pure,  the 
most  tender,  the  most  highly  prized,  when  a  moth- 
er can  look  forward  to  the  ten  thousand  displays 
of  tenderness  and  reverence  of  which  she  reads  the 
pledge  in  the  sanctity  that  refines  and  fixes  forever 
the  charities  of  nature. 

Such  would  naturally  be  the  anticipations  of  our 
first   parents,  when  they  thought  of  the  piety  of 
their  second  son.     So  they  no  doubt   calculated 
when  on  the  morning  of  that  day  the  flame  from 
Abel's  altar  aspired  to  scale  the  heavens.     But 
within  a  very  little  while  "an  horror  of  thick  dark- 
iiess"  settles  down  on  all  their  prospects;  forABEL^ 
whose  presence  was  to  animate  the  scene,  Abel, 
whose  piety  was   the  sunbeam  that  illumined  it, 
Abel  is  now  laid  low, — laid  low  by  a  stroke   of 
violence,— his  long  hair  clotted  and  his  mouth  de« 
filed  with  blood.     Yet  all  this  was  a  light  matter. 
Many  have  been  the  men  who  fell  in  sudden  death 
and  left  many  parents  childless.     But  Adam  was 
not  childless.    Jt  would  have  been  blessedness  to 


The  Death  of  Abet.  303 

have  beeu  so.  Cain  was  his  first  born;  and  Caia 
was  not  dead:  he  was  worse  than  dead,  he  wap 
his  brother's  murderer.  And  he  was  gone;  he 
had  fled;  and  the  vengeance  of  God  was  pursu- 
ing him.  X)n  next  Lord's  day  we  will  tell  you 
whither  he  fled,  and  how  vengeance  overtook 
him.  But  to  Adam  it  mattered  not  whither 
Cain  hi^d  fled.  In  this  pious  son  his  consolation 
had  been  locked  up. — No  matter  where  the  miscre- 
ant Cain  had  gone.  There  lay  Abel,  a  pious,  du- 
tiful, and  most  affectionate  son:  he  stirred  not,  he 
answered  not:  his  pale  and  ghastly  features  were 
already  set  in  death:  and  Adam  and  his  consort 
were  left  to  rue  the  day  that  doomed  their  loveliest 
offspring  to  become  the  food  of  worms. 

But  they  only  were  to  be  pitied  who  were  left 
behind.  The  unsuspecting  Abel  had  fallen  by  the 
stroke  of  treachery  and  violence;  but  he  fell  not  one 
hour  too  soon.  Unlike  the  improvident  and  mis- 
calculating sons  of  Adam,  who  leave  it  to  futurity 
to  make  their  peace  with  God,  and  consecrate  their 
noontide  to  business  or  amusement,  Abel  early 
sought  and  found  the  tavour  of  his  maker.  Under 
shelter  of  that  favour  he  went  through  his  daily 
task.  With  the  lisht  of  the  Saviour's  countenance 
beaming  full  upon  his  head,  with  the  consolations 
of  the  Most  High  dilating  his  glad  heart,  he  was 
prepared  for  either  issue,  be  it  death  or  life.  Nor 
w  as  he  at  all  the  loser  when  summoned  the  first 
of  hiunan  kind  to  take  his  station  before  the  eternal 


a04  The  Death  of  Mel 

throne.  For  thence  his  pure  spirit  could  speed  its 
joyous  way,  to  meet  and  to  salute,  at  the  portals 
Oi  iiigh  heaven,  the  spirits  of  his  father  and  of  his 
jtoother,  when  they  came. 

My  brethren,  if  it  be  joyous  for  friends  to  meet 
on  earth,  be  ye  judges  of  the  blessedness  when 
friends  shall  meet  in  heaven!  Judge  of  their  feli- 
city when  walking  hand  in  hand  they  talk  of  the 
dangers  they  escaped  on  earth;  of  the  goodness  and 
watchfulness  that  brought  them  safe  to  heaven;  and 
of  the  surprising  destinies  that  eternity  has  in 
reserve,  that  eternity  will  unfold  to  the  holy  and 
the  happy.  May  it  be  yours,  my  dear  young 
friends,  to  profit  by  this  example  of  ripe  though 
early  piety  I  May  my  spirit  meet  your  spirits  at 
the  portal  of  high  heaven,  when  like  this  first  mar- 
tyr you  shall  have  cultivated  a  piety  approved  of 
God!  And  may  ovirs  be  the  emotions  of  long  sun- 
dered friends,  as  our  memories  revert  to  the  happy 
—happy  day  when  we  talked  togetlier  of  the  death, 
of  ^'righteous  Abel.'^    dmen. 


THE 
OF 

CAIN". 


^'Xnd  the  Lord  said  unto  Cain,  Where  is  Mel 
thy  brother?  d.nd  he  said  I  know  not,  Am  I 
my  brother^s  keeper?  And  he  said,  What  hast 
thou  done?  Tfie  voice  of  thy  brother^s  blood 
crieth  unto  me  from  the  ground,  And  now 
art  thou  cursed  from  the  v  /th  which  hath  o- 
pened  her  mouth  to  receive  thy  brother's  blood 
from  thy  hand.  When  thou  tillest  the  ground, 
it  shall  not  henceforth  yield  unto  thee  her 
strength.  A  fugitive  and  a  vagabond  shall 
thou  be  in  the  earth.  And  Cain  said  unto  the 
Lord,  My  punishment  is  greater  than  I  can 
bear.  Behold,  thou  hast  driven  me  out  this 
day  from  the  J  ace  of  the  earth;  and  from  thy 
face  shall  I  be  hid;  and  I  shall  be  a  fugitive 
Tt 


B06  H^he  Judgment  of  Cain. 

and  a  vagabond  in  the  earth:  and  it  shall  come 
io  pass,  that  every  one  that  findeth  me  shall 
slay  me,  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  There- 
fore* whosoever  slayeth  Cain,  vengeance  shall 
be  taken  on  him  seven  fold,  tind  the  Lord 
set  a  mark  upon  Cain,  lest  any  finding  him 
should  kill  him.^^        Oen.  iv.  9 — 1^. 

^^  Whither  shall  I  go  from  thy  Spirit?  Or  whither 
shall  I  flee  from  thy  presence?  If  I  ascend  np  into 
heaven,  thou  art  there;  if  I  make  my  bed  in  hell, 
behold  thou  art  there.  If  I  take  the  wings  of  the 
morning  and  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
sea,  even  there  shall  thy  hand  lead  me,  and  thy 
right  hand  shall  hold  me.  If  I  say,  surely  the 
darkness  shall  cover  me;  even  the  night  shall 
be  light  about  me. — The  darkness  and  the  light  are 
both  alike  to  thee.'' 

If  there  be  an  instinctive  principle  in  our  nature, 
strong  and  unerring  above  every  other,  it  is  that 
which  chimes  harmony  with  this  noble  apostrophe 
of  the  Jewish  prince  and  prophet.  Of  all  those 
truths  which  enter  into  the  circle  of  religion  and 
morals,  this  is  the  last  to  perish  from  the  memory 
of  man,  and  the  one  most  easily  recalled.  Even  a° 
mong  those  nations  who  have  for  ages  "changed 
the  glory  of  the  incorruptible  God  into  an  image 
made  like  to  corruptible  man,  and  to  birds,  and 
four-footed  beasts,    and    creeping  things" — eveti 

there;  though  iutellect  is  wrapped  iu  fcnrful  dark- 


The  Judgment  of  Cain.  30^ 

ness,  and  t:onscience,  sheltered  by  the  sahle  wing 
of  night,  might  promise  a  deep  and  everlasting; 
slumber — yet  there,  remorse  and  terror,  and  sacri- 
fices and  ablutions,  bear  witness,  in  a  language 
which  none  can  mis -interpret,  how  deep-rooted  is 
the  conviction  that  there  is  one  wlio  sees  and  judg- 
es.    We   cannot  tell  you  how  it  is,  and  we  need 
not  tell  you  why  it  is,  but  the  veriest  idolater  who 
yields  his  homage  to   the  rudest  sculpture,   and 
trembles  before  tlie  idols  of  his  wood  and  clay,  of- 
ten hears  a  voice   which  liis  idols  cannot  utter,  a 
voice  that  speaks  of  certain  and  of  fearful  retribu- 
tion. 

We,  my  frieuds,  are  favored  with  the  light  of  re  - 
relation.     We  do  not  yield  our  homage  to  an  idol 
God.     We  direct  our  ejes  to  heaven;  we  look  a- 
broad  upon  the  earth;  we  lay  our  hands  upon  our 
heart:  yonder!  there!  here  is  God!  the  living  God; 
the  true  God;  ^-the  King  eternal,  immortal,  and  in- 
visible;'^ ^^the  only  wise  God:"— and  we  feel  that 
there  is  no  absurdity  in  uttering  that  apostrophe, 
^Hhe  darkness  and  the  light  are  both  alike  to  thee!!'^ 
Well,  then,  may  we  be  afraid.     There  is  good  rea- 
son for  our  fear.     We  have  the  same  law  written 
on  our  hearts  which  dictates  remorse  and  horror  to 
rude  and  barbarous  men;  and  we  can  at  the  same 
time  distinclly  recognise  the  band  that  wrote  the 
law:  we  can  discern  that  it  is  a  hand  full  able  to 
inflict  the  penalty. 

It  is  not  hard  to  conf  oivc  what  would  be  the  con- 


308  2%e  Judgment  of  Cam^ 

diiion  of  human  society,  if  this  recognition  of  all^-. 
discerning  providence  were  to  fail  from  the  minds 
of  men.  Human  institutions  can  go  hut  a  little 
way  to  restrain  or  punish  the  atrocities  of  human 
conduct.  Darkness  may  shroud  crime  from  the 
most  jealous  wakefulness.  Deeds  of  violence  may 
be  compassed  where  no  ear  hears,  where  no  eye 
discerns,  where  no  scrutiny  can  detect  them:  in  the 
recesses  of  the  mountain,  in  the  entangled  brake, 
in  the  cavern  whose  blackness  rivals  the  pretensions 
of  primeval  night.  Invaluable,  then,  is  the  idea  of 
one  who  sees  and  judges;  whose  presence  fills  all 
places;  no  secrecy  can  elude  him:  whose  eye  knows 
not  an  obstacle;  ^'the  darkness  and  the  light  are 
bothalike  to  him.^' 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  a  w  atchful  pro 
vidence  should  have  often  interposed  to  keep  up  a 
recognition  so  important  to  the  safety  of  the  world. 
If  all  crimes  fall  under  his  cognizance,  as  the  uni- 
versal governor;  much  more  must  those  which  are 
perpetrated  under  cover  of  darkness  or  of  se- 
crecy. There  God  is  the  only  witness:  he  only 
ciind  avenge.  Accordingly,  no  nation,  no  age,  is 
w  ithout  examples  of  such  fearful  visitations.  And 
ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  are  the  cases  that 
have  occurred,  in  which  men  who  never  knew,  who 
never  thought  of  the  transgression,  have  deliber- 
ately— have  almost  instinctivly — infered  its  exist- 
ence, from  the  punishment  awarded  in  the  face  of 
day.     It  was  not  superstition,  it  was  a  feeling  of 


The  Judgment  of  ^ain.  309 

our  nature  strong  and  not  uncoraiieton,  which  dictated 
that  judgment  to  the  inhabitants  of  Malta,  when  a 
viper  fastened  on  the  shipwrecked  Apostle's  hand: 
^^No  doubt  this  man  is  a  murderer,  whom,  though 
he  hath  escaped  the  sea,  yet  vengeance  suJBTereth  not 
to  live.''*  How  but  in  this  way  can  providence  at- 
test  its  observance  of  things  most  secret?  How  but 
in  this  way  shall  conscience  stand  in  awe  of  him 
who  sees  in  secret? 

In  the  commencement  of  human  society,  tlie 
world  had  every  thing  to  learn  in  relation  to  the 
Creator's  superintendence  of  his  rebellious  crea- 
tures. It  was  therefore  right  and  necessary  that 
the  intervention  should  be  prompt,  the  interference 
open,  the  punishment  most  signal. 

We  are  not  at  all  astonishetl^  tlien,  that  ven- 
geance on  his  deed  was  announced  to  this  murder- 
er by  a  voice  from  heaven;  or  that  providence  was 
honoured  by  a  speedy  vindication.  It  was  the  Urst 
murder:  and  it  was  a  most  fearful  murder.  It  was 
planned  with  deliberation;  it  was  conducted  with 
deceit;  it  was  perpetrated  in  secret.  It  was  done 
when  men  were  few  on  earth,  and  should  have  been 
the  more  endeared.  It  was  a  good  man's  murder 
— a  brother's  murder — an  early  play-mate's  mur- 
der. It  vv^as  grounded  on  his  piety;  it  was  prompt 
ed  by  malice, — -by  malice  against  God.  Siionlii 
this  murderer  rest,  because  men  were  few  on  earth. 

^\lcfs  xx.viii.  4. 


810  The  Judgment  of  Caino 

and  there  were  none  to  smite  bim  but  bis  nearest 
relatives?  Should  that  cunning  which  bad  aided 
to  compass  his  fell  intent,  prevail  to  shield  hiia 
fijpm  the  infamy  of  crime?  Should  the  secrecy  of  the 
transaction  prevent  suspicion?--TThus  it  might  have 
been,  thus  no  doubt  it  would  have  been,  had  not 
Eternal  Providence  governed  what  he  made.  But 
bis  eye  discerned  the  monster  when  he  first  ap- 
proached his  brother  with  well  dissembled  kind-* 
ness,  and  enticed  him  to  the  field:  that  eye  was  up- 
on their  footsteps,  when  the  victim  went  along  with 
liim  to  the  selected  spot  where  no  human  eye  could 
see  them,  no  human  hand  interjyose:  that  eye  mark- 
ed the  stroke  which  felled  Abel  to  the  ground:  and 
when  Cain  stood  for  the  moment  flushed  with  the 
success  of  his  scheme,  the  eye  of  God  was  on 
bim. 

Ah!  let  all  men  remember  that  to  calculate  on 
safety  because  they  sin  in  secret,  is  doubly  to  ex» 
pose  themselves  to  the  vengeance  of  the  Most 
High.  All  hope  of  safety  is  as  a  challenge  of  that 
high  prerogative  which  controls  the  affairs  of  men. 
All  boldness  derived  from  the  secrecy  of  crime,  is 
as  the  gauntlet  thrown  down  to  the  living  God! 
For  over  secret  things  he  alone  presides:  of  hidden 
crime  he  only  is  the  avenger.  It  is  to  say  to  him, 
that  apart  from  the  sanction  of  human  laws,  apart 
from  the  potency  of  human  arms,  yon  do  not  fear 
the  consequences.  And  if  God  be  challenged,  he 
will  take  up  the^uage;  ht  will  prove  his  might  up- 


The  Judgment  of  Cain*  Sll 

on  liim  who  sins  in   secret;   and  he   will  prove  it 

OPENLY. 

So  this  murderer  found.  He  retired  from  the 
scene  of  his  coward  triumph,  and  left  his  brother 
lying  in  his  blood.  But  short-lived  was  the  tri- 
umph, short-lived  the  security,  derived  from  the 
success  and  secrecy  of  such  a  crime.  A  voice  from 
heaven  a  second  time  assailecl  him,  '^where  is  Abel 
thy  brother?^^  What  a  question!  Urged  home,  too, 
upon  a  man  retiring  from  that  spot  under  a  persua- 
sion of  the  most  complete  security!  Urged  by  tlic 
being  who  had  but  lately  accepted  the  sacrifice  of 
Abel;  and  had  demanded  a  sin  offering  at  the  hand 
of  Cain!  It  was  as  the  first  stroke  of  that  bell  which 
tolls  in  the  ear  of  the  condemned  culprit,  in  signal 
that  his  hour  is  come!  Ah  me!  If  that  bosom  was 
not  quite  infernal,  if  Cain  yet  retained  one  feeling 
of  humanity,  what  would  he  not  now  have  given  to 
have  had  Abel  back  again,  to  life,  to  health,  to  the 
bosom  of  his  family!  How  mast  the  thought  have 
smitten  him,  that  instead  of  tire  sin-offering  which 
his  Creator  had  demanded;  instead  of  the  blood 
that  might  have  flowed  in  token  of  forgiveness,  and 
as  the  harbinger  of  peace  and  of  fellowship  resto- 
red between  him  and  his  Creator;  he  had  widened 
that  breach,  he  had  augmented  his  guilt,  in  an  im- 
measurable degree.  A  sacrifice  had  indeed  been 
offered  up;  but  it  was  to  passions  the  most  infernal: 
a  victim's  blood  had  flowed;  but  that  victim  was 
his  brother.     And  now,  his  malice  glutted,  but  dis  - 


31^  The  Judgment  of  Cain. 

appointed  of  concealment,  and  destitute  of  hope, 
hi:,  steps  had  not  wandered  perhaps  half  way  to 
his  home,  when  a  voice  from  heaven  smote  him: 
^^where  is  thy  brother  Abel?"  The  question  was 
not  urged  in  a  tone  of  accusation.  God  never  tri- 
umphs over  a  fallen  foe.  But  it  was  put  in  such  a 
way  as  to  rouse  every  recollection  of  regret  and  ten- 
derness, to  kindle  every  emotion  of  penitence  and 
anguish,  if  any  thing  of  humanity  yet  occupied  a 
place  in  the  bosom  of  this  murderer. — Cain,  how- 
ever, was  hardened,  pre-eminently  hardened;  and  he 
jSrst  attempted  to  shield  himself  under  the  most  a- 
bandoned  falsehood.  ^^1  know  not,''  said  he;  and 
he  said  it  to  his  Maker!  He  had  just  left  his  bro- 
therj  stricken  by  his  hand,  weltering  in  his  own 
blood:  and  the  image  was  still  fresh  of  that  expi- 
ring saint  turning  up  toward  his  murderer  his  dy- 
ing eyes,  and  fixing  on  his  countenance  a  steady 
gaze,  till  that  glaziness  which  settles  on  the  eye  of 
death  confounded  every  object  in  one  deepening 
shade.  He  had  just  seen  ail  thisj  and  yet  when  he 
heard  a  question  that  might  have  made  a  fiend  re- 
coil,  he  had  the  audacity  to  reply,  "1  know  not 
where  he  is.''  But  not  trusting  to  this  refuge  in  a 
case  so  very  plain,  agonized  with  fear  while  he  at- 
tempted the  firmness  and  self-possession  of  the  in- 
nocent, he  betook  himself  at  ouce  to  that  obvious 
and  common  refuge  of  the  unprincipled;  he  assu- 
med the  air  of  the  party  suffering  wrong,  and  called 
hi  the  aid  of  insolence  to  sustain  him  in  his  false « 


The  Judgment  of  Cain.  313l 

hood.     '^I  know  not  where  he  is.      Am  I  my  hrq- 
ther's  keeper.?'' 

Was  this  that  Cain?  that  child  of  promise?  that 
^^gotten''  from  the  (iord?  So  ignorant  as  to  use 
falsehood  where  omniscience  interposed!  So  stu- 
pid as  to  employ  insolence  where  the  hosts  of  hea- 
ven bow!  Yes,  this  was  that  very  Cain:  And  these 
were  the  consequences — the  native  consequences — 
of  an  ignorance  fortified  by  a  life  by  far  too  busy, 
and  of  pass^ions  nurtured  without  regard  to  law. 
Let  not  this  denial,  or  this  challenge,  seem  incredi- 
ble. Cain  had  not  the  benefit  of  those  myriads  of 
restraints  which  help  to  awe  the  conscience  in 
more  modern  times.  There  was  then  no  world 
whose  universal  voice  could  have  fostered  Kigh  i- 
deas  of  an  all-disposing  providence.  Conviction 
was  not  deepened  by  those  many  interpositions 
•which  have  since  fixed  the  feelings  and  principles 
of  men.  Nor  was  the  mind  awed  by  those  public 
institutions,  which  impress  upon  the  heart  a  deep 
and  lasting  reverence.  Cain  had  evidently  thought 
little  about  these  things;  and  the  world  afforded  no- 
thing to  supply  his  lack  of  thoughtfulness. 

But  these  are  not  the  only  principles  on  which 
we  would  account  for  conduct  at  once  so  stupid  and 
so  mad.  Detection  was  to  him  the  harbinger  of 
despair:  and  earth  and  hell  will  tell  you  how  little 
beings  fear  who  have  nothing  more  to  hope.  How 
often  do  the  desperate  arraign  high  heaven's  de- 
crees, while  they  feel  that  they  are  just?  How  of- 

U  u 


314  ^Vhe  Jiids;ment  of  Cain, 

len  do  they  vent  their  blasphemies  against  God, 
though  they  know,  and  though  they  are  aware  that 
all  creation  kno\v&^  that  nothing  can  tarnish  the 
splendor  of  his  name?  How  often  have  they  wished 
-—most  impotently  wished — that  they  could  wreak 
their  malice  upon  God  impassible?  And  how  often 
lias  the  hair  stiffened  and  stood  erect  on  the  heads 
of  many  thousands,  while  witnessing  those  effusions 
of  madness  and  of  malice,  that  it  were  pollution 
but  to  name!  *<I  know  not,'^  said  this  desperate 
ruffian,  ''I  know  not  where  he  is;  am  I  my  broth- 
er's keeper."^ 

But  <<the  Creator  ol  the  ends  of  the  earth  faints 
not,  neither  is  he  weary."  If  he  once  arise  to  make 
inquisition  after  blood,  woe  to  the  man  who  calcu- 
lates on  impunity!  God  is  not  a  man,  that  he  should 
stop  short  in  the  accomplishment  of  any  of  his  pur- 
poses, or  that  he  should  be  diverted  from  any  of 
liis  pursuits.  When  the  inquiry  was  first  made, 
Cr*in  was  left  to  become  his  own  accuser.  It  was 
rxot  done  that  comlemnation  might  be  built  on  his 
own  confession.  It  was  that  such  inquiry  might 
set  before  him  his  guilt  in  all  its  aggravations:  that 
a  deep  sense  of  sin  might  humble  him  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  Almighty:  and  that  contrition  might  e- 
vince  itself  by  such  a  ready  and  a  frank  confessioix 
as  becomes  the  broken-hearted  when  they  seek  for- 
giveness. But  Cain  was  not  this  humble  penitent. 
H  e  let  slip  this  fair  occasion  to  make  confession  of 
his  crime.     He  Mould  not  ask  forgiveness.     He 


Hie  Jud£!;ment  of  Cain.  SVS 

fought  by  false  liootl  to  conceal  the  deed;  and  pois- 
ed the  stammering  tongue  of  guilt  by  language  tlie. 
most  insolent. 

And  now  who  will  plead  for  Cain?    for  himselt* 
Ire  will  not  plead.     Who  will  pity  Cain?    on  him** 
self  he  has  no  pity.     Not  only  righteousness,  but 
mercy  stands  acquitted:  and  now  Grod  shuts  up  the 
measure  of  his  mercies,  and  lets  his  judgments  slip. 
And  he  said,   ^Hvhat  hast  thou  done?    the  voice  of 
thy  brother's  blood  cnes  unto  me  from  the  ground.'^ 
What  a  challenge!  what  a  disclosure!  Of  what  advan- 
tage now  was  all  that  cunning,  all  that  secrecy,  with 
which  the  deed  was  done!    What  profit  flowed  to 
Cain  from  all  the  falsehood,  all  the  insolence   with 
which  he  dared  to  practice  against  the  dignitj''  of 
heaven!     '^The  voice  of  thy  brother*^s  blood  crieth 
unto  me  from  the  ground.''  Thus  spake  this  voice, 
at  first  so  gentle  in  its  inquiries;  and  away  at  once 
went  all  his  refuges  of  lies!!  Every  successive  step 
which  had  promised  him  security,  only  added  to  the 
sum  and  weight  of  his  enormities.  He  stood  not  on- 
ly a  detected  murderer,  but  a  convicted  liar,  an  in- 
solent blasphemer.  Thus  crime  upon  crime  brou£;ht 
horror  upon  horror;  and  it  was  Cain's  to  learn  that 
earth  as   well  as   heaven    was  armed  against  his 
wickedness.     The  earth  drank  in  the  blood  of  mur- 
dered Abel:  but  she  first  held  it  up  to  the  sight  of 
righteous  heaven;  and  to  heaven  that  blood  addres- 
sed an  appeal  more  powerful  than  any  that  could 
be  urged  by  living  suppliant's  voice.    11  was  a  cry 


M6  The  Jukgment  of  Cain, 

to  the  justice  of  him  who  sees  in  secret;  a  demand 
that  he  would  vindicate  the  honors  of  his  govern- 
ment, where  no  eye  had  seen,  and  no  other  hand 
could  interpose  to  execute  just  judgment  on  trans- 
gressions  so  enormous.     And  many  has  heen  the 
time,  since  the  days  of  righteous  Abel,  in  which 
justice  has  been  executed  on  deeds  of  covert  wick- 
edness.    Many  have  been  the  culprits  who  have 
learned  in  many  ways  that  secrecy  is  not  safety  un- 
der the  government  of  heaven.     Many  have  been 
the  instances  in  which  surprising  providence   has 
brought  to  light,  and  marked  for  condign  punish- 
ment, offenders  who  had  lain  hid  for  many  a  passing 
year,  till  their  deeds  had  well  nigh  faded  from  the 
memory  of  man.     Who  has  not  heard  it  said,  and 
who  has  not  noted  circumstances  which  bear  wit- 
ness to  the  truth,  that 

u Murder,  thoiigli  it  hath  no  tongue,  will  speak 

"With  most  miraculous  organ." 

And  who  that  has  known  of  them  will  not  lay  to 
l^eart,  that  neither  darkness,  nor  secrecy,  nor  pla- 
ces most  remote  from  "the  cheerful  haunts  of  men,^^ 
bespeak  a  case  in  which  crime  may  hope  impuni*^ 
ty.     Although 


•The  midnight  hell 


<«Did  with  his  iron  tongue  and  brazen  mouth 
"Sound  ONE  into  the  drowsy  ear  of  night,'^ 


The  Judgment  of  Cain.  317 

yet  ke  who  sits    in    heaven    ^^slnmbers    not    nor 
sleeps:'^   he  who  fills  immensity  is  present  in  the 
wilderness:  the   understanding  that  is  infinite  can 
readily  find  means  both  to  detect  and  punish.     So 
this  murderer  found.     He  practised  cunningly  and 
secretly  against  a  good  man's  life;  and,  lo!  his  of- 
fences met  a  swift  requital.     And  his  shame  is  this 
day  noted  in  this  house  of  prayer;  and  it  has  been 
trumpeted    for    ages    through  all  countries  under 
heaven, — So  perish  the  expectation  of  all  malicious 
men!     Be  this  the  swift  recompense  of  murderers 
and  slanderers!    xVnd  let  all  men  recollect  the  fast 
approaching  day,  when  God  will  bring,  before  iht 
assembled  universe,  every  word  and  every  secret 
thought  into  the  open  judgment. 

We  can  but  barely  note  the  punishment  more  im- 
mediately inflicted  on  Cain.     The  earth,  we  said, 
as  well  as  heaven,  was  armed  against  the  murder- 
er.    She  lifts  her  anathema  against  this  son  of  earth 
who  had  stained  her  bosom  with  a  brother's  blood: 
^'Thou  art  cursed  from  the  earth  which  hath  open- 
ed her  mouth  to  receive  thy  brother's  blood."     Ai> 
appropriate  consequence  was,  that  she  should  no 
more  yield  her  fruits  to  Cain,  the  cultivator  of  her 
soil:  "when  thou  tillest  the  ground  it    sliall  not 
henceforth  yield  unto  thee  her  strength.'^     This 
was  a  double  curse:  A  calamity  superadded  to  the 
common  lot  of  transgressors.     Against  Adnm  aud 
his  progeny  it  had  been  denounced,  tJiatthcrus  and 
thistles    should  thenceforth    be   the    spoiitriCeous 


318  the  Judgment  of  Cain. 

productions  of  the  field.  They^  if  they  would  live^ 
must  prepare  the  ground  with  labour:  they  must 
tend  its  fruits  with  care:  in  the  sweat  of  their  faces 
they  were  condemned  to  eat  their  bread.  But  Cain 
must  endure  a  far  more  fearful  sentence.  It  should 
be  of  no  avail,  though  he  did  prepare  the  soil  for 
the  reception  of  the  seed:  it  should  not  profit, 
though  he  did  cultivate  his  fields  with  labour.  La- 
bour and  care  should  be  all  in  vain  to  him.  In 
hope  he  might  not  sow;  with  joy  he  might  not  reap; 
to  no  purpose  should  the  big  drops  trickle  from  his 
forehead:  ^^the  ground  shall  not  henceforth  yield 
to  thee  her  strength." 

What  profited  then  those  toilsome  eiforts  whicli 
had  prompted  Cain  to  neglect  the  ways  of  God? 
Of  what  avail  were  all  those  instruments  of  bus- 
bandry  prepared  with  so  much  care?  Where  were 
now  those  honors  of  a  first-born  son.  a  jealousy  o- 
ver  which  had  promoted  this  foul  murder?  Shun- 
ned as  a  destroyer,  despised,  and  feared,  and  ha 
ted,  the  hoiwrs  of  primogeniture  had  faded  in  his 
grasp.  Cut  off  from  his  employment,  his  fields 
were  of  no  value,  his  implements  were  lumber. 
Why  should  he  continue  in  the  abodes  of  men? 
Why  stand  as  a  target  at  which  all  might  aim  their 
shafts?  Why  frequent  those  places  where  ail  who 
saw  him  shunned  him,  and  where  every  thing  he 
saw  recalled  at  once  the  memory  of  youthful  happi- 
ness, and  the  images  of  guilt? ^No;  let  him  fiy 

from  all  his  heq-rt  held  dear:  let  him  cease  from  aa 


The  Judgment  of  Cain.  319 

criiployment  that  Iieav  en  refused  to  prosper:  let  him 
shun  the  scorn  of  them  who  could  no  longer  yield 
their  homage  to  the  first-born  among  men.  Let 
liira  retire  to  some  lone  spot  wliich  as  yet  had  nev- 
er borne  the  print  of  human  footstep:  let  him  pitch 
by  some  lone  stream  which  had  never  yet  reflected 
<»the  human  face  divine:"  and  there  let  him  feed 
on  roots  and  barks  and  berries.  Or  let  him  pain- 
fully court  the  ground  for  a  scanty  return  of  small 
and  blighted  ears,  till  some  son  of  his  should  rise, 
on  w  hom  the  penalty  did  not  press,  and  w  ho  in  duty 
and  in  pity^  might  supply  a  father's  wants.  All 
(his  was  denounced  against  this  cruel  fratricide:  "A 
fugitive  and  a  vagabond  shalt  thou  be  iu  the  earth/' 
— a  man  without  employment,  without  a  country, 
despoiled  of  honour,  and  without  a  hope.  God  of 
justice!  how  fearful  are  thy  movements,  when  thou 
arisest  in  thy  strength  to  bestow  the  meed  of  guilt!! 
So  Cain  most  deeply  felt.  And  now  we  pray 
you  look  upon  this  man,  once  too  haughty  to  confess 
himself  a  sinner,  too  self-w  illed  to  bring  the  sacri- 
liee  demanded,  and  arrogant  and  insolent,  even  to- 
ward his  Maker,  almost  beyond  belief.  How  stoops* 
tlie  towering  spirit!  how  t^^  Itches  the  tough  sinew! 
how  bows  the  neck  of  brass!  This  man  of  mock  he- 
roics is  now  abject,  mean,  and  vile.  Terrified  be- 
yond measure,  he  cries  out  for  very  agony.  But  it 
was  not  <he  anguish  of  an  ingenuous  i^pirit,  mouin- 
ing  his  mad  offence;  it  was  the  slavish  terror  of  a 
j?elils;h.  coward  spirit,  bewailing  the  punish-meut. 


320  The  Judgment  of  Cain. 

and  nothing  but  the  punishment.  '^My  jpunish- 
ment^^^  he  cried^  '•^is  greater  than  I  can  bear.  Be- 
hold thou  has  driven  me  out  this  day  from  the  face 
of  the  earth,  and  from  thy  face  shall  I  be  hid.''  In 
his  terror  he  apprehends  even  greater  evils  than 
those  which  had  been  denounced:  "And  it  shall 
come  to  pass  that  every  one  that  findeth  me  shall 
slay  me."  How  true  in  all  ages  is  nature  to  her- 
self! How  strongly,  how  consistently,  do  all  the 
virtues  blend!  How  common  to  meet  in  one  man  the 
extremes  of  vice!!  Shew  me  a  cruel,  a  designing 
nian^  a  man  haughty  in  prosperity,  loud  and  for- 
ward in  his  pretensions  and  his  claims:  and  I  will 
shew  you  a  coward,  who  will  shrink  from  real  dan- 
ger; who  in  the  day  of  his  adversity  will  be  fawn- 
ing as  he  was  arrogant;  who  will  meanly  kiss  the 
hand  that  loads  him  with  indignity;  and  who  will 
shew  himself  in  all  things  the  opposite  of  man- 
hood. 

But  Cain  was  quieted  as  to  this  his  greatest  fear. 
The  judgments  of  the  Most  High  are  dictated  by 
righteousness,  not  by  the  spirit  of  vengeance.  He, 
the  august,  the  elevated  spirit,  the  great  pattern  of  all 
that  is  truly  excellent,  he  would  not  permit  that  even 
a  murderer,  a  deceitful,  an  arrogant,  and  now  a  most 
debased  spirit,  should  be  crushed  below  the  point 
which  justice  rendered  requisite.  Nor  would  God 
so  wound  the  tender  sympathies  of  kindred  as  to 
constitute  any  one  of  the  small  sor'ety  of  men,  all 
of  whom  were  the  near  relatives  of  the  culprit^  the 


The  Judgment  of  Cain.  3gl 

exactor  of  his  justice.  He  declared  that  no  man 
should  kill  Cain.  And  to  give  him  assurance  of 
his  life,  to  aftord  him,  if  it  might  be,  full  leisure  fot 
repentance,  he  denounced  a  yet  severer  penalty  on 
the  murderer  of  Cain,  and  then  "set  a  mark'^  upon 
the  fugitive,  that  all  men  might  know  him,  and  re- 
member the  prohibition.  What  sort  of  sign  was 
given  him,  or  what  kind  of  "mark"  was  set  upon 
him,  the  history  does  not  say;  and  we  will  not  at- 
tempt to  amuse  you  by  detailing  any  of  the  wild 
and  baseless  conjectures  in  which  so  many  have  in- 
dulged upon  a  question  of  no  importance,  and 
about  which  nothing  can  be  known. 

It  was  enough  that  God  knew  how  to  mark  him; 
then  sent  him  forth  a  wanderer  and  a  vagabond, 
secure  of  life,  but  a  child  of  shame  and  misery.  Of 
his  subsequent  history  very  little  is  known.  He 
wandered  with  his  family  to  the  Eastward  of  Eden; 
and  there  his  posterity  were  planted  and  increased^ 
We  have  some  account  of  his  descendants  to  the 
fifth  generation,  and  of  their  early  practice  of  many 
of  those  arts  which  other  histories  restrict  to  far 
later  times.  We  merely  mention  it  as  a  proof, 
which  must  be  added  to  those  we  have  already  en- 
countered, that  the  common  sense  position  of  the 
bible  is  correct.  God  did  not  people  the  world 
with  a  race  of  savages,  destitute  of  language,  of 
arts,  and  of  comforts;  but  adoraed  and  furnished 


3^S  y/ie  Judgment  of  Cain. 

the  human  race  at  first  as  became  the  inheritors  of 
his  new  and  noble  creation,  that  they  might  occupy 
their  station  with  dignity  and  comfort. 

Cain  lived  without  felicity,   and  died  without 
honour.     No  record  tells  the  time  when  he  ceased 
from  earthly  sorrows.     No  notices  remain  of  the 
place  that  holds  his  ashes.     "The  righteous  are 
held  in  everlasting  remembrance,  but  the  memory 
of  the  wicked  shall  rot.'^ — His  posterity  continued 
uniiistructed   and  unblessed,  till  the  deluge  came 
and  swept  them  all  away.     But  our  history  sooji 
leaves  them  to  pursue  another  object.     We  are  led 
to  contemplate  the  birth  of  Seth,  a  character  very 
different  from  him  who  "slew  his  brother.^'     We 
se»^  him  chosen  of  God  to  succeed  to  the  piety  of 
the  murdered  Abel,  and  ordained  the  progenitor  of 
that  long  line  of  patriarchs  whose  history  we  trace 
jn  slow  succession  from  Seth  to  Enoch,  from  Enoch 
to  >  oah,  and  from   Noah   through  Abraham  and 
David  and  many  others,  till  the  grand  succession 
terminates  in  Joseph  and  Mary,  of  which  last  HE 
was  born  whom  we  this  day  worship,  "the  seed  of 
the  woman'^  and  "the  Saviour  of  the  world.'^ 

Our  subject  to-day  has  been  gloomy  and  appal- 
ling.     On   next  Lord^s  day  we    hope   to   strike 
another   note.     Enoch,  son  of  Adam,  shines  as  a 
being  of  far  different  order  from  him  whose  dark 
and  sullen  aspect  fixed  the  attention  of  the  passing 


Tlie  Judgment  of  Ccun,  3^3 

faour.  Enoch,  as  a  prophet, — Enoch,  as  a  man  of 
the  tnost  exalted  piety, — Enoch,  translated  with- 
out once  tasting  death  to  the  realms  where  Abel 
dwelt,  where  Jesus  Christ  now  dwells, — Enoch 
may  afford  us  a  glimpse  of  the  glories  of  that  par- 
adise, as  its  immortal  gates  expand  to  let  the  pa- 
triarch in. 

The  lessons  derivable  from  the  facts  jusif^how 
reviewed  are  of  a  character  not  to  be  easily  mis- 
construed nor  readily  overlooked. 

The  progress  of  the  human  mind  from  remiss- 
ness to  irreligion,  from  irreligion  to  irreverence, 
from  irreverence  to  impiety  unrestrained  and  un- 
disguised, may  be  traced  with  some  distinctness. 
Nor  is  it  difficult  to  perceive  how  regular  and  how 
marked  is  the  dereliction  of  all  those  duties  which 
bind  man  to  man,  when  once  impiety  has  gained 
a  firm  footing  in  any  human  breast.  God's  tnya 
dispensations,  wise  and  just  and  good,  often  prove 
the  immediate  cause  of  discontented  feelings.  Dis- 
content produces  envy;  and  envy  malice;  and  mal- 
ice gluts  itself  with  blood.  And  yet  blood  does 
not  always  prove  the  favorite  food  of  malice.  Ma- 
ny are  the  men  who  would  turn  pale  at  the  thought 
of  murder,  but  who  nevertheless  can  find  full  scope 
for  malice  in  inflicting  death  upon  a  neighbor's  or 
a  brother's  name.  Many  are  the  characters,  both. 
male  and  femalp^  who  bless  their  own  souls;  and 


d24i  "JPhe  Judgment  of  €atn. 

perbaps  their  maker  too,  that  they  never  were  even 
tempted  to  do  a  deed  of  violence;  but  who  neverthe- 
less remorselessly,  habitually,  almost  daily,  act  a 
part  uot  less  atrocious  than  that  of  the  murderer 
Caio.  Earth  drank  up  Abel's  blood,  when  it  flow- 
ed by  the  murderer's  hand;  but  tliey,  when  their 
hands  have  opened  the  fatal  sluice,  themselves 
drink  up  the  spirit.  The  club  of  Cain  was  wielded 
in  the  frenzy  of  his  malice,  and  despatched  his  vie- 
tim  at  a  blow;  but  they  can  scatter  "firebrands,  ar- 
rows and  death,"  through  protracted  periods,  at  in- 
numerable times.  The  martyred  Abel  speedily 
fell  asleep,  and  was  beyond  the  reach  of  suffering; 
but  their  victims  may  drag  out  a  miserable  exist- 
ence, distressed  in  their  families,  embarrassed  in 
their  affairs,  distracted  in  their  feelings,  with  the 
current  of  the  life's  blood  rushing  madly  through 
their  veins,  but  sluiced  of  the  spirit  that  had  regu- 
lated all.  O,  let  these  assassins  and  murdressess 
understand  that  the  judge  of  miscreant  Cain  has  not 
yet  left  the  earth!  that  the  failing  spirit,  like  the 
blood  of  Abel,  cries  to  the  God  of  vengeance!  And 
that  he  who  in  his  scriptures  has  classed  whisper- 
ers and  backbiters  with  persons  alienate  from  God, 
has  already  named  their  punishment:  *^sharp  ar- 
rows of  the  mighty,  with  coals  of  juniper." 

Again:    Let   all  sinners  against  God   consider 
how  their  enmity  against  himself  is  nourished  and 


yie  Judgment  of  Cain.  3g5 

augmented  by  preservance  in  works  of  wickedness* 
It  must  have  been  long  ere  this  man  became  so 
darkened  in  his  understanding,  and  benumbed  in 
conscience,  as  to  be  rendered  totally  insensible  of 
his  need  of  the  Divine  forgiveness.  And  even  on 
that  morning  when  he  had  stupidly  and  thought^ 
lessly  brought  his  thank-offering  to  the  altar  with- 
out any  accompanying  acknowledgement  of  sin,  lit- 
tie  did  he  imagine  that  his  heart  was  capaole  of 
harboring  contempt  of  God  or  hatred  toward  hig 
brother.  But  the  disappointment  he  experienced 
wounded  his  pride;  and  then,  though  convinceti^ 
he  would  not  confess  his  sin.  This  refusal  to 
humble  himself  prepared  him  to  reject  the  proffer- 
ed pardon  through  the  oblation  of  the  Saviour. 
And  as  the  wilful  and  pertinacious  rejection  of  sal- 
vation cut  him  off  from  hope;  it  was  natural  tliat 
the  heart  should  imbibe  hatred  against  him  from 
whom  he  looked  for  judgment  without  mercy. 
And  then,  when  once  the  conscience  becomes  com- 
pletely severed  from  the  throne  of  God,  man  is  ren- 
dered but  another  name  for  fiend;  his  spirit  is  but  a 
devil  encased  in  mortal  flesh.  Let  not  mortals  then 
imagine  that  like  Cain  they  may  neglect  tiic  ^^ono 
mediator,"  and  yet  retain  their  sentiments  of  rcs^ 
pect  for  God.  If  that  blood  of  the  covenant  does 
not  give  them  peace,  it  will  infalliby  prove  f)^th 
the  occasion  and  the  mean  of  determined  hostility 
to  every  thing  that  is  most  sacred. 


^S  Vie  Judgment  of  Cain. 

Finally:  Let  the  alienate  from  grace,  wbo  sufiPere 
like  flaurderous  Cain,  discern  the  God  of  vengeance. 
When  he  tilled  the  ground,  she  did  not  yield  to 
him  her  strength:  he  was  a  ^^fugitive  and  a  vaga- 
bond," unprospered  and  unblessed.— *How  often 
since  the  day  in  which  Cain  groaned  under  this 
penalty,  have  other  sons  of  Adam  waged  the  same 
mad  warfare,  till  borne  down  and  crushed  by  the 
€ame  ponderous  arm!  Let  no  man  dare  to  repeat 
the  mad  experiment.  All  hearts,  all  elements,  all 
events  of  every  kind,  are  in  the  hand  of  God, 
And  iihis  sentence  once  press  thee  as  it  pressed  the 
stubborn  Cain — if  he  Curse  thy  basket,  or  withhold 
a  blessing  from  thy  store — all  wisdom  is  vain,  and 
vain  will  be  every  effort.  Genius,  industry,  repu- 
tation, every  thing  that  guaranteed  your  success  in 
life,  wither  beneath  the  curse;  or  if  they  continue 
in  their  vigor,  still  they  produce  no  fruit.  In  vain 
do  you  place  your  reliance  on  a  thousand  promis- 
ing  influences;  in  vain  does  a  proud  heart  fret. 
"The  stars  in  their  courses  fought  against  Sisera:'^ 
the  stars  in  their  courses  fight  also  against  thee. 

Down,  then,  with  thine  arms,  rebellious  creature, 
and  God  will  give  thee  life.  If  thou  doest  well, 
thou  shalt  yet  be  accepted;  and  a  sin-offering  is 
provided  for  all  that  thou  hast  done.  Down  witli 
thine  arms,  thou  haughty  son  of  Cain,  and  be  a 
rasrabond  no  more.     We  announce  to  thee  a  sacri- 


The  Judgment  of  Cain,  327 

fice  in  which  Abel  placed  his  confidence;  and  he 
was  accepted,  and  is  blessed.  Proud  spirited  Cain 
refused  to  trust  the  offering;  and  he  wandered  far 
from  home,  and  he  perished  without  hope.  Down 
with  thine  arms,  and  be  happy  in  this  world:  take 
up  the  cross  of  Cluist;  and  be  blessed  in  that  to 
come.     Amen. 


(Q^TIie  errat(a  in  this  volume  are  so  few  and  of  so 
little  impcjrtance  that  a  hsi  of  them  is  deemed  needless. 
There  has  been  but  one  ot  any  consequence  noticed,  (n 
page  38,  line  8th  from  the  top,  after  the  words  «<you  stood*' 
insert  not. 


SUBSCRIBERS'  J^TAMtlS. 


LEXINGTON. 

Benjamin  Ay  res 

A.  Anderson 
W.  Allen,  jun. 
Samuel  Ay  res 
Sterling  Allen 
James  Anderson 
Fatterson  Bain 
R.  R.  Barr 

James  Blythe,  D.  D.    2 
Joseph  Bruen 

B.  Boswell  2 
Samuel  Blair 
Margaretta  G.  Bartlett 
Charles  E,  Beynroth 
Mrs.  C.  H.  Bodley 
Lewis  Barbee 

Mrs.  E.   Brand 

N.  Burrowes  10 

Wm.  W.  Blair  ^ 

John  P.  Bull 

J.  C.  Breckcnridge      2 

Rev.  R.  H.  Bishop       3 

John  D.  Clifford 

C.  W.  Cloud 

D.  Carr 
Richard  Chiles 
George  Clark 
Jacob  Claar 

David  Castleman       10 
S.  Chipley 
Leslie  Combs 
T.  T.  Crittenden 
Jos.  P.  Cunningham 
James  Devore 
Wm.  S.  Dallam 
Mrs.  M.  A.  Dewees 


Qa 


James  E.  Davis 

Matthew  Eider 

Miss  Sidney  S.  Edmistou 

Charles  W.  Ernest 

James  Essex 

Thomas  Essex 

John  Fowler 

Asa  Fat  row 

Samuel  D.  Fishback 

Thomas  Grant 

Richard  Hawes,  jun.  2 

W.  G.  Hunt 

James  Haggin 

Robert  Huston 

R.  R.  Hall 

T.  W.  Hawkins 

Thomas  P.  Hart 

D.  Henry 

James  P.  Henry 

Caball  R.  Harrison 
Joseph  H.  Hervey 
John  Hudson 

William  Henry 
Mrs.  Hunt 
Charles  Humphreys 
Nelson  R.  Jones 
Andrew  M.  January 
Thomas  January 
J.  B.  January 
Benj.  Reiser 
Matthew  Kt-nnedy 
Da»id  Love 
A  Le  Grand 
James  Logue 
William  A.  Lcavy 
,Tobn  Maxwell,  jun. 
J.  Livingston  Maxwell 


mo 


Subscribers*  JStames. 


James  Morrison  3 

"Wiiiiam  Morton 
K'^bert  M^cnitt 
J  T.  Mason,  j  on* 
J  lin  L.  Martin 
B.P.Miller 
"William  Macbean 
Lawson  M*CulIougIi 
S.  D.M*rulloughi 
TboJiias  Morrow 
J.  D.  IVMntosh 
A.  M*Glure 

A.  M'Calla 
JoLn  .M.  M*CalIa 
Thonias  M»Birney 

B.  ..i^-calfe 
J;>iu.  \M\isick 

Miss  Uptty  M.  ISicholas 
Ge<irsi;e  Norton 
Johi)  Norton  2. 

S.  F.  Norton 
Charles  Norwood 
George  Oakley 
William  Pritcbartt 
Daniel  M* C.Payne 
James  Prentiss 
Thomas  M.  Prentiss, 
Jobn  S.  Patterson 


L. L  Shreve 
E.  Salomon 
Benj.  Stoat 
Jobn  r .  Snead 
Mr^.  Susan  Savage 
Robert  Scott 
M.  T.  Scott 
E.  Sharpe 
David  A.  Say  re 
John  Tilford 
Mrs.  \lary  niford 
Franklin  Trotter 
James  Trotter,  sen, 
James  Trotter,  jun, 
Mrs.  Eliaa  Trotter 
Wiiiiam  Taylor 
Isaac  Tbom 
R.  S.  Todd 
Geo.  Trutier,  sen* 
James  Todd 
Robert  Tilford 
Samuel  Trotter 
Ge!>rge  Venable 
James  Webb 
Charles  Wilkins 
Robert  W^ickliffe 
W.  Warfield 
E.  Yeiser 


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